«//    SIIA.VU    ANDREWS. 


Wicked  Nell 


GAYGIRLofTHETOWN.' 


By   SHANG  ANDREWS, 

AUTHOR  OF  "CRANKY    ANN;"       ".THE    MYSTERIES    AND    MISERIES    OF 
CHICAGO;"  "  IRISH  MOLLIE"  "  JOE  AND  JENNIE,"  &c.,  &c. 


latrimoniai  . 


. 

'rtOWIJUL  NKWS  OO.. 


CHICAGO; 

COMET    PUBLISHING    COMPANY, 
1878. 


Entered,  according  to  act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1877,  by 

K.  H.  ANDKEWS, 
In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


WICKED  NELL, 

A  GAY  GIRL  OF  THE  TOWN. 


CHAPTER   I. 

On  a  warm  summer*  evening, 
about  two  years  before  the  fire, 
Captain  Hickey  sat  in  front  of  the 
old  Armory,  puffing  leisurely  at  a 
cigar,  and  from  appearances  indulg- 
ing in  a  reverie.  He  was  probably 
calling  to  mind  some  of  the  strange 
and  startling  adventures  through 
which  he  had  passed  while  in  the 
discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  thief- 
catcher.  But  his  thoughts  on  that 
occasion  are  not  to  be  the  text  of 
this  story.  They  were  disturbed 
by  the  approach  of  an  elderly 
woman,  whose  manner  indicated 
that  she  was  in  deep  trouble. 

"  Well,  my  good  woman,  what 
can  I  do  for  you  to-night  ?"  said 
the  Captain,  motioning  the  woman 
to  a  seat  on  a  wooden  bench  at  his 
tide. 

"Oh,  Captain  Hickey,"  sobbed 
the  woman,  '•  It's  a  sorry  day  that 
brought  me  here  !" 

The  poor  creature  was  suffering 
intense  mental  agony , and  when 
the  last  word  was  uttered  she  com- 
pletely broke  down,  and  wept  and 
moaned  with  an  intensity  of  grief 
that  was  really  painful  to  witness. 

The  Captain,  knowing  that  to 
express  sympathy  would  only  make 
matters  worse,  made  no  immediate 
attempt  to  pacify  the  woman.  Fi- 
nally, however,  when  her  burst  of 
impassioned  sorrow  had  partially 
subsided,  he  said ; 

"  Well,  madam,  if  there  is  any- 
thing I  can  do  for  you,  it  shall  be 


done  willingly.  If  you  are  in 
trouble,  you  should  meet  it  bravely, 
and  not  give  way  to  your  feelings 
as  you  have  done  since  you  came 
here.  What  is  the  nature  of  the 
complaint  you  have  to  make  ?" 

"  Oh,  Captain  Hickey,  I  haven't 
the  heart  to  tell !" 

"  But  you  must  tell,  if  you  want 
help." 

"  Captain — my  daughter!" 

"  Ah  !  I  understand  it  all  now ! 
You  have  a  daughter  that  has  gone 
astray  !  Poor  woman  !  God  knows 
I  pity  you !  Do  you  know  where 
your  girl  can  be  found  ?" 

"  Indeed,  Captain,  I  do  not.  If  I 
did,  I  should  never  come  here,  to 
bring  disgrace  on  myself  and  my 
own  child — my  darling  little  Nell!" 

"  Then  I  understand  that  you 
want  me  to  hunt  h#r  up  for  you. 
Is  that  it  ?" 

"  That's  just  what  I  want,  Cap- 
tain ;  and  if  you'll  do  it,  sir,  the 
old  widow  will  call  down  God  Al- 
mighty's blessing  on  your  head!" 

Without  appearing  to  notice  the 
woman's  fervent  words,  the  Captain 
said : 

"  We  must  have  a  description  of 
your  daughter." 

"  Oh,  sir,  she's  as  tidy  a  girl  as 
ever  you  laid  eyes  on  !" 

"  That  is  not  very  definite.  We 
must  have  an  accurate  description 
— her  age,  height,  the  color  of  her 
hair  and  eyes,  and  any  peculiarities 
by  which  she  may  be  distinguished 
from  other  girls.  In  the  first  place, 


yom  may  give  me  her  age — how  old 
is  she?" 

"  She'll  be  thirteen  years  old  next 
month,  sir !" 

"  Only  thirteen!  Why,  you  don't 
think  she's  gone  to  the  bad.  do 

9» 

you  i 

"God  knows  I  don't  want  to 
think  so,  Captain,  but  I  can't  help 
it— I  know  it !" 

"  Have  you  any  idea  where  she 
can  be  found — whether  ,in  a  public 
house,  or  a  private  place  ?" 

"  It's  a  week  now  since  she  left 
home.  She  went  alone;  there  wasn't 
a  soul  with  her,  and  she  wore  her 
eve^day  dresp,  without  any  hat  or 
shawl." 

"  Had  she  been  in  the  habit  of 
keeping  company  with  other  girls, 
or  with  young  men  ?" 

"  She  was  out  with  'em  every 
blessed  night,  often  till  twelve  and 
one  o'clock,  and  sometimes  as  late 
as  two  and  three  in  the  morning." 

"  I  am  afraid  she  is  lost  beyond 
hope,"  said  the  Captain,  "  but  we 
will  do*  our  best  to  save  her — you 
may  rely  upon  that.  By  the  way, 
what  is  your  daughter's  name  ?" 

"  The  neighbors  call  her '  WICKED 
NELL,'  but  her  right  name  is  Nellie 
O'Brien — bad  luck  to  the  day  that 
ever  brought  shame  upon  the  fami- 
ly that  raised  her  !" 

"  I  have  heard  of  this  Wicked 
Nell  before,"  said  the  Captain,  "  but 
I  thought  she  was  one  of  the  old 
settlers — something  like  the  girls 
on  Wells,  Griswold  or  Sherman 
streets." 

"  She's  young  in  years,  Captain, 
but  as  old  as  any  of  them  in 
wickedness  !  Why,  you'll  blush 
when  you  hear  her  talk  !  She's  the 
very  devil !" 

"  I  don't  doubt  her  viciousness, 
but  I  long  since  stopped  blushing  at 
the  words  or  actions  of  any  of  the 
depraved  creatures  of  this  wicked 
city.  I  hope  I  may  never  become  hard- 


hearted, or  conscience-calloused, 
as  some  officers  are  said  to  have 
done ;  but  when  one  is  constantly 
surrounded  by  the  most  depraved 
wretches  that  walk  the  streets  and 
skulk  in  the  dark  alleys,  it  is  scarce- 
ly to  be  wondered  at  that  he  should 
lose  confidence  in  humanity  and 
almost  become  a  convert  to  the 
doctrine  of  total  depravity.  But 
while  we  are  talking,  time  is  being 
lost.  If  you  come  here  at  eight 
o'clock  to-morrow  morning,  I  have 
no  doubt  you  will  find  your  girl." 

After  furnishing  as  perfect  a  de- 
scription of  the  missing  girl  as  she 
could,  the  unhappy  old  woman  went 
towards  her  miserable  home. 

When  the  men  answered  to  their 
names  at  roll  call,  a  few  minutes 
subsequent  to  the  above  interview, 
Captain  Hickey  said : 

"  Officer  Morgan  will  be  detailed 
for  special  duty  to-night.  He  will 
report  to  me  in  my  private  office." 

Tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  the  boys 
went  marching  to  their  beats,  and 
Morgan  repaired  to  the  office  of 
his  superior. 

"  Jim,"  said  the  Captain,  "  You 
are  pretty  well  posted  as  to  the 
location  of  the  hell-holes  about 
town,  are  you  not?" 

"If  I  ain't  I  ought  to  be,"  was 
the  blunt  reply. 

'•  Well,  I  want  you  to  start  out 
now,  and  never  come  back  until 
you  find  this  old  woman's  girl — 
this  Wicked  Nell,  as  she  is  called." 

"  Oh !  if  it's  Wicked  Nell  you 
want,  I'll  soon  run  her  in  !  I  saw 
her  only  yesterday,  drinking  beer 
with  a  sailor  on  Jackson  street.  I 
think  I  can  lay  my  hand  on  her  in 
less  than  half  an  hour ;  but  if  I  don't, 
I'll  obey  orders,  Captain — I'll  not 
come  back  without  her." 

"Very  well.  I  hope  you  will 
have  speedy  success,  for  the  heart 
of  her  poor  old  mother  ia  almost 
broken  !" 


"Running  her  in  won't  do  any 
.good,  Cap.  She's  gone,  head  and 
heels,  body  and  soul !  Why,  she's 
the  wickedest  girl  in  Chicago  !" 

"  Then  she  should  be  taken  care 
of,  by  all  means.  Do  you  believe, 
Jim,  that  she's  only  thirteen  years 
old  ?  Her  mother  says  that's  her 
age." 

"  I  don't  doubt  it — and  to  my 
knowledge  she's  been  on  the  town, 
off  and  on,  for  about  three  years! 
People  have  got  to  look  sharp  after 
their  babies,  in  these  days !" 

"  It  is  shocking,  Jim,  it's  shock- 
ing !  We  will  lock  this  girl  up  to- 
night, if  we  get  her,  and  to-morrow 
morning  she  shall  have  her  choice — 
she  can  go  home  to  her  mother,  if 
.she  will  promise  to  be  a  good  girl ; 
if  not  she  gets  ninety  days  in  the 
Bridewell." 

"  And  do  you  know  what  she'll 
do?" 

"  I  think  she  will  go  home,  and 
try  to  behave  herself." 

"  There's  where  you're  mistaken, 
Captain  !  As  sure  as  my  name  is 
Jim  Morgan,  she'll  defy  the  Court 
and  go  to  the  Bridewell!  She's  a 
thoroughbred,  every  inch  of  her!" 


CHAPTER  II. 

When  the  widow  O'Brien  left 
Captain  Hickey,  she  did  not  return 
to  her  home,  on  Franklin  street, 
•two  blocks  from  the  Armory.  Wild 
:and  wicked  as  she  knew  her  daugh- 
ter to  be,  the  old  lady  still  had  a 
mother's  strong  love  in  her  breast, 
and  she  could  not  bear  to  see  her 
Nellie  go  to  the  lock-up,  even  for 
one  night,  if  such  a  course  could 
be  avoided.  With  the  resolution 
to  prevent  an  arrest,  if  possible, 
.she  lingered  near  the  Armory  until 
after  the  first  platoon  had  left,  and 
then  her  bent  figure  and  sorrowful 
face  was  again  seen  in  the  doorway. 

The  Captain  saluted  her  respect- 
fully. 


"  I  am  just  about  sending  a  man 
out  in  search  of  your  daughter — 
a  man  who  knows  her  well,  and 
thinks  he  can  find  her* without 
trouble,"  he  said,  addressing  the 
widow. 

"  Sure,  and  I'm  obliged  to  you, 
Captain,  but  I  came  back  to  as^k  a 
favor." 

"  Name  it,  and  it  shall  be  grant- 
ed." 

"  It  would  break  my  poor  old 
heart  entirely,  to  see  my  little  chick 
of  a  child  behind  those  bars — in 
those  horrid  ce-lls." 

"  If  we  find  her,  Mrs.  O'Brien, 
we  must  keep  her,  but  she  shall  not 
be  locked  up  in  a  cell.  We  have  a 
room  up  stairs  where  she  can  be 
kept." 

"  But,  Captain,  can't  /go  with 
the  officer,  and  when  he  finds  her 
won't  you  let  her  go  home  with  me]? 
I  can  coax  the  child — I  know  I 
can." 

"  It  shall  be  as  you  wish.  You 
can  accompany  Mr.  Morgan,  and 
when  he  finds  her  you  can  have  an 
interview.  If  she  consents  to  go 
home  and  premises  to  stay  there, 
nothing  further  will  be  done  ;  but  if 
she  refuses,  and  insists  upon  remain- 
ing with  her  dissolute  associates, 
then  there  will  be  but  one  course  to 
pursue — she  must  be  arrested  and 
punished.  She  had  better  be  in  the 
Bridewell,  Mrs.  O'Brien,  than  wan- 
dering about  the  streets,  associat- 
ing with  abandoned  men  and  wo- 
men." 

"  I  know  it,  Captain,  I  know  it  •, 
and  I  thank  you  for  your  kindness 
— God  bless  you  !" 

Tears — glad  tears,  that  there  was 
still  hope,  and  sorrowful  ones,  that 
she  should  be  forced  to  such  a 
dreadful  expedient  to  save  her 
daughter — coursed  down  the  bronz- 
ed cheeks  of  this  working  woman, 
as  she  uttered  these  words. 

"  I  am  merely  doing  my  duty," 


responded  the  Captain,  who  was 
deeply  touched  by  the  woman's  dis- 
tress. u  It  would  be  a  cruel  act,  and 
an  unjust  one,  too,  if  I  should  not 
hold  out  every  inducement  for  the 
return  of  an  erring  but  repentant 
child  to  her  home.  I  have  been  an 
officer  for  many  years,  and  have  wit- 
nessed more  suffering,  more  sorrow, 
more  misery,  more  agony,  more 
heart-breakings,  than  I  could  tell 
you  of  should  we  talk  from  now 
till  daylight.  God  knows  we  have 
enough  outcasts  in  Chicago  to-day, 
without  driving  down  and  perse- 
cuting those  who  may  be  inclined 
to  turn  from  the  error  of  their  ways. 
We  are  the  protectors  of  socie- 
ty, Mrs.  O'Brien,  not  its  persecutors. 
It  is  our  duty  to  sav e,  not  to  de- 
stroy. I  hope  your  daughter  will 
abandon  her  evil  associations  and, 
eventually  become  a  good  woman. 
If  by  any  act  of  mine  such  an  end 
can  be  attained,  I  shall  only  be  too 
glad  to  volunteer  my  assistance. 
You  can  go  with  the  officer,  and 
take  your  daughter,  wherever  you 
can  find  her." 

With  tender  and  feeling  acknowl- 
edgment and  thanks,  the  widow  and 
the  officer  started  on  their  painful 

ission — painful  to  both,  for  Jim 

organ  was  a  father  himself,  and 

good  man,  and  the  tears  of  the 
ereaved  mother  had  touched  a  soft 
spot  in  his  honest  heart. 

"  Mr.  Morgan,"  said  the  widow, 
after  they  had  started,  "  the  Captain 
told  me  you  knew  my  little  daugh- 
ter— are  you  well  acquainted  with 
her  ? " 

"  No — I  am  not  acquainted  with 
her  at  all ;  but  she  has  been  point- 
ed out  to  me  as  '  Wicked  Nell/  and 
I  have  seen  her  a  great  many  times, 
while  I  have  been  traveling  my 
beat." 

"  And  is  the  such  a  very,  very 
wicked  girl,  Mr.  Morgan  ?" 

"  For  one  of  her  age,  I  should ' 


say  that  she  is  the  worst  girl  that 
I  ever  saw.  It  is  hard  to  say  this 
to  a  mother,  of  her  daughter,  but 
it  would  do  no  good  to  deceive  you. 
When  you  know  the  truth  you  can 
perhaps  act  with  more .  effect  for 
good  than  you  could  should  I  at- 
tempt to  cover  up  the  bad  traits  the 
girl  has  adopted." 

For  a  block,  Mrs.  O'Brien  walked 
in  silence  ;  but  the  experienced  of- 
ficer saw  tears  stealing  from  her 
eyelids,  and  realized  that  the 
burden  that  weighed  upon  her 
heart  was  so  heavy  as  to  be  almost 
unbearable.  Hers  was  unspeakable 
grief.  With  an  effort  that  forced 
a  sigh,  the  woman  rallied,  and  said  : 

"  Do  you  think  you  will  have  any 
trouble  in  finding  my  Nellie?  " 

"I  do  not,"  was  the  reply.  "I 
have  seen  her  many  times  near  the 
corner  of  Wells  and  Jackson  streets, 
and  it  is  my  opinion  that  she  has 
found  a  stopping  place  on  the  latter 
street,  not  far  from  the  corner." 

While  this  conversation  was  tak- 
ing place,  they  had  been  walking  at 
a  brisk  pace,  and  were  nearing  the 
locality  mentioned. 

A  sound  of  coarse  revelry  com- 
ing from  a  "  saloon  and  restaurant," 
whose  doors  were  open,  greeted 
their  ears.  There  were  at  least  a 
dozen  men  in  the  place,  and  as  many 
women,  and  from  the  unnatural 
tones  of  their  voices,  it  was  evident 
that  nearly'  all  were,  more  or  less, 
under  the  influence  of  liquor.  Some 
were  in  the  public  saloon,  and  others 
were  seated  in  stalls  on  the  side  of 
the  room,  drinking,  eating,  smok- 
ing, telling  stories,  and  enjoying 
themselves  as  fancy  dictated.  Heavy 
curtains,  capable  of  entirely  screen- 
ing the  persons  in  the  stalls  from 
observation,  hung  in  front  of  them, 
but  they  were  parted  in  the  mid- 
dle, and  evidently  no  '  concealment 
was  desired  by  the  motley  crowd. 
Some  of  the  women,  depraved 


though  they  were,  would  be  really 
handsome  were  it  not  for  that  brazen 
look  that  the  harlot,  let  her  try 
ever  so  hard,  cannot  banish.  These 
creatures,  however,  made  no  effort 
to  hide  their  calling.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  looked  as  though  special 
pains  had  been  taken,  in  arranging 
their  toilettes,  to  display  such 
charms  as  they  had  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. The  dresses  of  some  were 
so  low  in  the  neck  as  to  be  abso- 
lutely indecent,  while  others  went 
to  the  other  extreme,  and  let  no  op- 
portunity slip  to  display  to  the  very 
best  advantage,  with  the  most  out- 
rageous immodesty,  their  lower 
limbs.  While  this  insane  revelry 
was  at  its  height,  while  tumblers 
were  clinking  merrily,  and  the  en- 
tire company  seemed  to  be  in  a  jol- 
ly mood,  there  came  flying,  rather 
than  walking,  into  the  room,  a  young 
girl,  whose  rare  beauty  and  mag- 
nificiently  moulded  form  dimmed 
the  lustre  of  the  charms  of  her 
frail  sisters,  as  bright  diamonds  in 
the  sunlight  make  dull  and  unsight- 
ly common  glass.  Her  entrance 
created  a  profound  sensation,  and 
for  a  brief  moment  there  was  a  hush 
— silence  such  as  usually  precedes 
a  wild  demonstration  of  delight  or 
applause.  But  it  was  for  a  moment 
only.  The  girl  was  attired  in  the 
most  gay  and  dashing,  though  not 
expensive  apparel.  Evidently  there 
had  been  an  effort  made  to  make 
her  appear  "  stunning,"  without  the 
expenditure  of  any  considerable 
suoa  of  money.  The  silence  that 
her  entrance  produced  was  almost 
instantaneously  followed  by  as  bois- 
terous and  wild  a  huzza  as  was  ever 
heard  in  Chicago.  There  was  a  rat- 
tling of  glasses,  a  clapping  of  hands, 
a  stamping  of  feet,  and  a  chorus  of 
voices  shouted  : 

u  Hurrah  !  boys  and  gals,  here's 
the  pet  of  the  petticoats!  Three  cheers 
and  a  tiger  for  WICKED  NBLL  !  " 


CHAPTER  III. 

From  the  lips  of  Wicked  Nell — 
those  luscious  lips,  that  looked  as 
pure  as  those  of  an  angel — there 
came  an  oath  that  would  make  a 
scoffer  or  an  infidel  shudder. 

"  Let(s  have  a  drink  !  "  she  cried ; 
"  say,  old  Baldy,  sling  us  a  jolly 
cocktail !  I've  got  the  blues  to- 
night !  Something  tells  me  I'm 
going  to  have  trouble,  and  I  want 
something  to  make  me .  brace  up! 
There's  nothing  like  a  good  square 
drink — the  real  old  stuff — to  drive 
away  the  blue  devils  !  " 

The  beverage  had  been  prepared 
while  she  was  speaking,  and  she 
tossed  it  off  as  though  it  had  been 
the  most  delicious  nectar  ever  pre- 
pared with  which  to  tickle  the 
palate. 

Just  at  that  moment  Jim  Mor- 
gan and  Mrs.  O'Brien  reached  the 
front  of  the  saloon.  The  old  lady 
clutched  his  arm  with  a  start. 

"  There  she  is  !  There's  my  little 
Nellie!"  exclaimed  the  mother  of 
the  wicked  girl,  and  the  poor  wom- 
an started  for  the  door  with  a  ner- 
vousness that  threatened  hysteria. 

But  the  strong  arm  of  Jim  Mor- 
gan drew  her  back,  and  he  fairly 
forced  her  along. 

So  prompt  was  the  interference 
of  the  officer  that  no  one  in  the  sa- 
loon noticed  the  occurrence. 

"  You  came  near  spoiling  every- 
thing," he  said,  after  the  danger 
had  been  avoided.  "  Had  you  gone 
into  the  saloon,  there  would  have 
been  a  "  scene,"  and  your  rebellious 
daughter  would  have  died  on  the 
spot  rather  than  go  with  you.  In 
such  cases  as  these,  judgment  and 
prudence  are  required.  We  must 
use  discretion — resort  to  strategy. 
The  girl  does  not  know  me  as  an 
officer ;  and,  as  I  am  not  dressed  in 
uniform,  it  will  be  easy  enough  for 
me  to  coax  her  out  of  that  place. 
I  will  take  her  to  the  house  where 


she  lives,  and  when  once  there,  you 
can  see  her,  and  talk  with  her,  qui- 
etly and  alone." 

"  Your  plan  is  the  best,  I  can  see 
that  now,'  but  nothing  but  force 
could  have  prevented  me  from  going 
to  my  daughter,  when  I  saw  her 
in  that  awful  place,  and  on  my  kncss 
begging  her  to  come  away  with  me  ! 
Oh,  sir,  only  God  in  heaven  knows 
how  I  love  that  child." 

"  Mrs.  O'Brien,"  said  Morgan,  "  I 
know  you  love  that  wayward  girl, 
but  had  you  gone  into  that  saloon, 
and  had  fallen  upon  your  knees  be- 
fore the  crowd,  do  you  know  what 
she  would  have  done  ?  Why,  she 
would  have  laughed  in  your  face, 
and  called  you  names  that  would 
have  frozen  the  blood  in  your  veins  ! 
I  have  heard  her  swear  she  was 
bound  to  be  a  thoroughbred,  and  if 
you  knew  what  that  meant  you 
would  never  think  of  upbraiding 
or  pleading  with  her  in  public,  be- 
fore those  who  know  her.  It  is 
possible  that*  in  her  own  room, 
where  there  are  none  to  hear,  you 
may  with  kind  and  endearing  words 
persuade  her  to  go  home  with  you 
But  you  can't  drive  her  an  inch. 

"  The  good  Lord  knows  I'll  speak 
as  gently  and  kindly  to  my  Nellie 
as  woman  ever  spoke  to  one  she 
loved  !  Bat  you  must  go  quick  or 
perhap  she'll  go  away."  , 

';  I  will  go  now.  You  remain  out 
of  sight  until  I  take  her  to  the  place 
she  calls  home,  and  then  you  can 
follow  us  in." 

The  officer  returned  to  the  saloon; 
and  found  Wicked  Nell  sitting  upon 
the  knee  of  a  tipsy  young  man. 
She  was  smoking  a  cigar — a  bad  ci- 
gar at  that — and  held  in  her  hand 
a  tumbler  half  filled  with  a  poison- 
ous mixture  compounded  from  the 
bottles  behind  the  bar,  and  called 
a  "  cocktail." 

"  Hello,  Nell,  old  girl,  how  are  ye?" 
exclaimed  Morgan,  holding  out  his 


hand,  as  though  he  were  an  inti- 
mate acquaintance. 

The  girl  was  accustomed  to  such 
greetings  from  those  whose  faces 
were  not  familiar,  and  she  supposed 
the  officer  was  one  of  those  who  had 
met  her  in  some  of  her  adventure- 
some frolics  in  that  vicinity. 

Nell  left  the  intoxicated  young 
man,  and  at  once  joined  Morgan, 
who  looked  as  though  he  might  be 
what  she  would  call  a  "monied 
bloke." 

"Can  I  see  you  privately,  Nell  ?" 
he  whispered. 

'•You  bet  you  can  !  Come  on  .r 
Let's  go  to  my  room  around  the 
corner." 

That  was  exactly  what  the  officer 
wanted. 

Arm  in  arm  they  hurried  to  their 
destination — a  one-story  wooden 
building,  painted  white,  on  Jackson 
street,  five  or  six  doors  from  the 
corner. 

"  Come  right  to  my  room,"  she 
said,  entering  the  front  door  and 
walking  towards  a  room  off  the 
parlor. 

But  Jim  Morgan  did  not  go.  She 
heard  a  footstep  behind  her,  but  it 
was  not  the  officer's. 

Lighting  the  kerosene  lamp,  Wick- 
ed Nell  turned  to  her  (as  she  sup- 
posed) companion,  and  stood  face 
to  face  with  HER  MOTHER  ! 

"  My  daughter  !  Nellie  !  Darling  !" 
gasped  the  old  lady,  stretching  out 
her  arms  and  advancing. 

"  How  came  j0#  here  ? "  were  her 
first  words,  uttered  with  freezing 
accents,  and  her  dark  eyes  flashed 
fire. 

"  Oh,  darling,  I  have  come  to  save 
you !" 

"  If  that's  all  you  want,  you  'd 
better  go  back  home  !  I  don't  need 
saving  just  now  !  When  I  want  hflp 
from  you,  I'll  call  on  you  !  " 

The  poor  old  woman  clasped  her 
hands  and  moaned : 


1 1 


"  Oh,  Nellie,  by  the  memory  of 
your  dead  father,  whose  grave  is 
yet  fresh  and  unsodded,  recall  those 
cruel  words  and  come  home  with 
me!" 

"  My  father  died  a  drunkard,  and 
so  will  his  daughter ! " 

This  was  a  heavy  blow,  and  the 
bereft  widow  trembled  violently,  but 
could  not  speak.  After  a  moment's 
pause  Nellie  continued : 

'*  Mother,  I  know  what  you  came 
here  for.  I  know  now  that  my  gal- 
\axA,  friend  \s>  an  officer,  and  unless 
I  go  home  with  you  I  shall  be  ar- 
rested. Now  let  me  tell  you  this  : 
I  will  never  go  home.  I  will  nei>er 
be  what  you  call  a  good  girl !  You 
may  throw  me  into  your  rotten  Ar- 
mory, but  you  can't  kill  me !  I  shall 
always  pe  Wicked  Nell,  a  gay  girl 
of  the  town!" 

With  a  shriek  of  agony  that  star- 
tled the  neighborhood,  the  widow 
O'Brien  fell  prostrate  upon  the  floor! 


CHAPTER  IV. 

When  Wicked  Nell  saw  her  poor 
old  mother  fall  to  the  floor,  the 
girl's  heart  was  not  touched,  and 
there  was  a  sneer  on  her  beautiful 
face  as  she  said  : 

"  Old  woman,  that's  played!  " 

"  You  infernal  little  hussey,"  ex- 
claimed Jim  Morgan,  who  rushed 
into  the  room,  "  What  have  you 
done  to  your  mother  ?  Don't  you 
see  that  you  have  broken  the  old 
lady's  heart  ? " 

"Oh,  pshaw?  If  you  knew  the 
old  woman  as  well  as  I  do,  you'd 
understand  her  little  tricks  better. 
That's  all  put  on.  You  can  just 
bet  your  sweet  life  on  that !  Why, 
she's  fainted  more  times  than  she's 
got  hairs  in  her  head  !  It  used  to 
scare  me  once,  but  I've  got  used  to 
it,  and  I  know  very  well  that  she 
only  makes  believe,  just  as  you  tried 
to  make  believe  that  you  wanted  to 
be  my  friend,  when  the  truth  was 


that  you   was   running  me  into  a 
trap!" 

Jim  looked  at  the  girl  in  utter 
astonishment. 

"  Well,  well ! "  he  said,  after  sur- 
veying her  for  a  full  minute,  from 
head  to  foot,  "  if  you  ain't  the  cus- 
sedest  little  devil  I  ever  laid  eyes 
on  !  Why  ,  you're  worse  than  old 
Roxey  Brooks,  who  was  on  the  town 
before  you  were  born  !  " 

"  Am  I  ? "  said  the  girl,  excitedly; 
"  Oh,  officer,  you  don't  know  how 
proud  that  makes  me  feel ! " 

"  Proud  !  Does  that  make  you 
proud  ?  Do  you  take  pride  in  be- 
ing the  wickedest  girl  in  Chicago?" 

"  I  had  a  thousand  times  rather 
be  the  wickedest  girl  than  the  best 
girl  !  A  nybody  can  be  good ;  any- 
body can  put  on  a  sweet  face,  and 
go  to  school,  and  to  church,  and  say 
their  prayers,  and  work,  and  be  a 
drudge  and  a  slave,  and  what  are 
they  ?  Why,  officer,  they're  just  no- 
body at  all !  But  look  at  me  !  Ev- 
erybody is  talking  about  me  !  Peo- 
ple look  at  me  and  point  me  out  on 
the  street,  and  one  says  to  the  oth- 
er, '  See !  there  goes  that  awftl 
Wicked  Nell ! "  It's  just  jolly  fun, 
and  I  like  it !  I  love  this  wild  .ife, 
and  there  is  no  power  in  Chicago 
that  can  make  me  leave  it !  " 

"We'll  see  about  that,  my  fine 
lass,"  was  Jim's  response. 

The  widow  O'Brien  groaned,  and 
Mr.  Morgan,  turning  from  the  ugly 
girl,  gently  raised  the  old  lady's 
head. 

Wicked  Nell  laughed. 

The  officer,  entirely  out  of  pa- 
tience, exclaimed: 

"  You  devilish  brat,  bring  me 
some  water,  quick !  " 

"  Niggers  can  bring  water,  sir  ! 
I'm  no  servant — I'm  a  lady  !  " 

Turning  upon  her  heel  with  all 
the  dignity  of  a  queen,  Nell  walk- 
ed to  the  mirror  and  commenced 
rearranging  the  wayward  curls  that 


12 


had  been  displaced  by  the  evening 
breezes.  This  done,  she  again  faced 
the  officer. 

"  You  need'nt  be  alarmed  about 
the  old  woman,"  she  said,  "  for 
there's  no  danger  of  her  croaking. 
She'll  grunt  and  splutter  and  flop 
around  a  little,  and  foam  some  at 
the  month,  and  in  about  five  min- 
utes she  '11  be  ready  to  furnish 
enough  chin  music  to  last  a  month. 
If  you  '11  stand  and  listen,  when  she 
comes  to,  she'll  talk  you  to  death." 

"It's  a  pity  she  has'nt  flogged 
you  to  death,  you  ugly  little  slut," 
was  all  the  officer  said,  as  he  again 
turned  his  attention  to  the  insensi- 
ble widow. 

It  was  as  Nell  had  said.  The  pro- 
cess of  recovery  was  accompanied 
by  painful  spasms,  but  these  soon 
subsided,  and  Morgan  helped  her  to 
her  feet,  and  led  her  to  a  sofa,  in 
another  room. 

Nell  remained  in  the  bed  room 
and  slammed  'the  door  shut. 

"  Don't  attempt  to  go  away," 
shouted  Morgan,  who  thought  she 
might  slip  out  of  a  window,  and 
skip  away. 

"  Oh,  don't  you  '  fret,"  was  the 
defiant  reply,  "  Wicked  Nell  don't 
run,  and  she  don't;  scare  either ! 
You  can  threaten,  you  can  bark, 
but  you  can't  bite  !  I've  got  good 
friends  in  this  town,  who  won't  see 
me  locked  up,  if  money  can  get  me 
out,  and  I  guess  it  can. 

"  Nellie,  darling,  won't  you  come 
to  your  mother?  "  The  old  lady's 
voice  trembled,  and  her  bosom  heav- 
ed with  a  deep  sigh. 

"  No,  I  wont  !" 

Short,  sharp  and  biting  were  the 
words. 

"  One  minute,  Nellie,  just  one 
minute  ! " 

"  Oh,  hush  up  !  I  know  what  you 
want  to  say  ;  you  want  to  slobber 
and  leak  water  out  of  your  eyes,  and 
sling  in  a  long  rigmarole  that  I 


don't  want  to  hear,  and  wont  listen 
to." 

"  She's  the  wickedest  girl  that 
ever  struck  this  town,"  remarked 
the  indignant  policeman,  "  and  the 
best  thing  that  we  can  do  is  to  let 
her  try  the  bugs  and  soup  of  tne 
rotten  old  Bridewell  for  a  month  or 
two.  That'll  bring  her  to  her  milk 
if  anything  will." 

There  was  a  marked,  a  wonderful 
change  in  the  widow's  manner.  No 
tears  moistened  her  eyelids,  no  sob 
was  heard. 

"  Nellie  O'Brien,"  she  said  sternly, 
"  come  here !  I  order  you  to  come." 
"  If  you'll  order  the  drinks  I  might 
take  a  bowl  with  you,  old  woman, 
but  you  can't  put  on  any  lordly 
airs  over  me  !  And  don't  call  me 
Nellie  O'Brien  any  more  !  That's 
not  my  name !  The  only  name  I 
am  going  to  be  known  by  in  this 
town  is  '  Wicked  Nell !  '  the  gayest 
girl  in  Chicago  !  " 

The  door  opened,  and  Nell  came 
out,  with  hat  and  shawl  on. 

"  Nellie,"  said  her  mothe-i, "  you're 
going  home  with  me  !  " 

"  I'll  see  you  d — d  first !  "  was 
the  profane  reply  of  thelittle  wretch. 

"•  But  you  shall  go  !  If  you  will 
walk  along  peaceably,  all  right ;  if 
not,  I'll  drag  you  through  the  streets 
by  the  hair  of  your  head  !" 

The  old  woman's  anger  was  now 
fully  aroused  and  she  started  tow- 
ards her  daughter ;  but  Nell  was 
not,  apparently,  in  the  least  alarm- 
ed. She  stood  as  stiff  as  a  post, 
and  bold  defiance  flashed  from,  her 
dark  and  lustrous  eyes — eyes'  that 
could  almost  talk  when  passion 
inflamed  them. 

Jim  Morgan  stepped  between 
them. 

"  Mrs.  O'Brien,"  he  said,  "  it  is 
my  duty  as  an  officer  to  arrest  this 
girl.  You  heard  what  the  Cap- 
taiin  said — if  the  girl  consented  to 
go  home  with  you,  she  could  do  so, 


it  not,  I  was  to  bring  her  in." 

"Well,  why  in  h— 11  don't  you 
take  me  in,  then  ?  I've  got  on  my 
harness,  I've  sent  word  to  my  lov- 
er, an  rl  I'm  all  ready  to  waltz  around 
to  the  stone  house  on  the  cor- 
ner !  Come,  now,  Mr.  Peeler,  give 
us  your  arm  and  let's  take  a  prom- 
enade !  You  came  home  with  me, 
»nd  I  thought  you  meant  business  ! 
Now,  I'll  go  home  with  you,  and 
sing  you  some  of  the  gayest  songs 
you  ever  listened  to.  We'll  sing 
all  night,  till  broad  daylight,  and  pay 
our  respects  to  old  Milliken  in  the 
morning.  They  say  the  old  roos- 
ter's a  hard  nut11— rough  on  the  girls 
and  boys  when  they  get  snatched!" 

And  thus  the  wild,  wicked  girl 
rattled  on,  regardless  of  the  fact 
that  every  cruel  word  pierced  a 
widowed  mother's  broken  heart. 

"  You  see  how  it  is,"  said  the 
officer,  to  Mrs.  O'Brien ;  "  there's 
no  use  in  coaxing  her,  for  she's  as 
stubborn  as  a  mule  and  ugly  as  the 
very  devil.  You'd  better  go  home 
and  come  down  to  court  at  8  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  Perhaps  a  night 
under  lock  and  key  will  take  some 
of  that  wickedness  out  of  her,  and 
learn  her  that  it  is  better  to  be  a 
good  girl  than  a  bad  one." 

"Oh,  cheese  that !  "  sneered  Nell. 

"  Yes,  take  her  along  !  Lock  her 
up  !  Put  her  in  your  darkest  cell ! 
And  you,  Nellie  O'Brien,  when  you 
lay  your  head  on  a  hard  plank,  and 
when  the  big  rats  run  over  you, 
and  the  damp  walls  send  chills  to 
your  very  bones,  remember  that 
your  mother  sent  you  there  !  Re- 
member, too,  that  a  mother's  curse 
hangs  over  you !  May  God  Al- 
mighty send  devils  to  your  bed  side 
when  you  sleep  !  May  you  rot 
with  disease .'  May  your  eyes  fester 
and  fall  out  of  your  head !  May 
your  hair  turn  gray  in  a  night ! 
May  the  roses  on  your  cheeks  with- 
er and  leave  them  sallow  and 


sunken  !  May  you  become  a  hag 
— an  object  of  scorn  and7  loathing, 
so  offensive  that  the  dogs  of  the 
street  will  snarl  and  growl  at  your 
appv<  ich  !  May  you  fill  a  pauper's 
grave  before  the  snow  of  another 
winter  shall  whiten  the  earth  !  Do 
you  hear  me,  Nellie  O'Brien  ?  Do 
you  hear  your  mother's  curse  ?" 

The  old  woman  had  fallen  on  her 
knees,  and  the  words  were  fairly^ 
screamed  into  the  ears  of  the  erring 
daughter. 

Wicked  Nell  laughed. 

"  Ha  !  ha !  ha !  Why,  this  is  as 
good  as  a  circus !  Go  it,  old  gal,, 
you're  a  trump  !  Can't  you  do  that 
act  over  ?  It  was  immense  !"  And 
She  clapped  her  hands  and  stamped 
her  feet,  in  imitation  of  the  patrons 
of  a  variety  theatre. 

"  Come  along  you  unfeeling 
wretch,  come  along  !"  The  officer 
was  thoroughly  disgusted,  and,  tak- 
ing the  girl's  arm,  he  started  with 
her  towards  the  station. 

The  old  lady,  with  a  sad  and 
lonely  heart,  sought  her  desolated 
home,  to  pass  a  night  of  such 
horror  as  only  those  can  realize 
who  have  experienced  trouble  such 
as  was  her's.  Husbandless,  worse 
than  childless,  her's  was  indeed  a 
pitiful  grief. 

"  Bye-bye,  Mother  O'Brien," 
shouted  Wicked  Nell,  "  I'll  think  of 
you  when  the  rats  commence  nib- 
bling at  my  nose,  and  my  eyes  fall 
out,  and  all  those  horrid  dreadful 
things  happen  !  Oh,  you're  a  gay 
old  mother,  you  are  !  You're  a 
sweet  plum,  ain't  you  ?  Come  and 
see  me  in  the  morning — /'//  be 
back  on  the  town  before  midnight, 
as  sure  as  the  Court  House  bell 
strikes  twelve  ?" 

With  these  threatening  parting 
words  between  mother  and  daughter, 
the  officer  and  his  strange  prisoner 
wended  their  way  to  the  Armory. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Captain  Hickey  was  still  at  the 
station  when  Jim  Morgan  arrived 
with  his  prisoner. 

The  Captain  gave  the  girl  a 
steady,  searching  look. 

"  So  this  is  the  Wicked  Nell  I 
have  heard  so  much  about?"  he  said, 
inquiringly. 

"Yes,  and  she's  the  ugliest  little 
cat  that  ever  wore  claws,"  said  Mor- 
g^an,  by  way  of  reply. 

"Well,  then,  we'll  try  and  tame 
her.  What's  your  name,  sissy  ?"  • 

"  My  name's  Wicked  Nell — that's 
good  enough  for  me !  What  you 
going  to  do  with  me,  boss  ?" 

"What  am  I  going  to  do  with 
you  ?  Oh,  nothing  to  speak  of.  I 
am  only  going  to  strip  off  that 
toggery,  chain  you  down  to  the 
floor  in  the  darkest  cell  we've  got, 
give  you  an  ice  water  shower  bath, 
and  then  leave  you  alone  with  the 
bugs,  roaches  and  rats  until  morn- 
ing— that's  all!  The  poor  little 
creatures  have  not  had  a  square 
meal  for  several  days,  and  I  fancy 
they  must  be  terrible  hungry  by 
this  time." 

The  Captain  never  looked  more 
serious  in  his  life,  and  Nell  could 
not  keep  back  a  shulder  as  she 
listened.  But  she  was  a  brave  as 
well  as  a  bad  girl,  and  quickly 
rallied. 

"Couldn't  you  put  in  a  few 
rattlesnakes,  and  one  or  two  hy- 
enas ?"  She  inquired,  with  a  mock- 
ing laugh. 

Captain  Hickey's  long  experience 
in  his  profession  enabled  him  to 
read  character  as  readily  as  ordinary 
men  read  an  open  book.  He  saw 
that  there  was  no  use  in  attempting 
to  frighten  or  intimidate  that  bold 
bundle  of  wickedness,  and  made  no 
further  attempt  in  that  direction. 

"  Take  her  up  stairs,  Jim,  and 
put  her  in  the  witness  room,"  he 
said  to  Mjrga'i,  and  the  order  was 


obeyed  without  further  ceremony  or 
talk.  She  was  simply  booked  as 
"  inmate  of  a  house  of  ill-fame." 

When  Wicked  Nell  found  that 
she  was  to  be  arrested,  she  hastily 
penciled  a  brief  note  to  her  "friend," 
a  real  estate  dealer  then  doing  busi- 
aess  opposite  the  Court  House,  on 
LaSalle  street,  informing  him  of 
che  fact.  The  shrewd  girl  had 
anticipated  something  of  the  kind, 
and  had  received  assurances  that  in 
case  of  trouble  prompt  assistance 
w©uld  be  at  hand.  This  note  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  another 
inmate  of  the  house  on  Jackson 
street,  with  full  directions,  and  it 
was  not  long  after  her  arrival  at 
the  Armory  that  the  unwelcome 
missive  was  placed  in  the  hands  of 
the  party  for  whom  it  was  designed. 

Tnis  person  was  a  respectable 
man — a  married  man,  too — and  of 
course  it  would  not  do  for  him  to 
figure  personally  in  the  matter. 
To  do  so  would  injure  his  reputa- 
tion, and  subject  him  to  exposures 
that  would  be  disastrous  in  more 
ways  than  one.  It  would  be  ruin- 
ous in  a  business  point  of  view,  and 
would  also  make  it  uncomfortable 
for  his  peace  of  mind  when  the  news 
should  be  conveyed,  as  it  certainly 
would  be,  to  his  wife.  But  he  could 
not  afford,  even  if  he  felt  so  in- 
clined, to  neglect  -the  girl  with 
whom  he  had  for  some  months  been 
on  terms  of  criminal  intimacy.  She 
was  young  and  beautiful — a  flower 
of  uncommon  sweetness — and  he 
ha  1  no  idea  of  abandoning  her  in 
the  hour  of  her  peril.  And  if  he 
did,  what  then  ?  Why,  she  would 
certainly  ''squeal"  on  him,  and  thus 
bring  down  upon  his  head  a  flood 
of  disgrace  that  he  could  not  well 
stand  up  under. 

There  are  always  hundreds  of 
expedients  by  which  men  can  con- 
ceal their  sins,  and  at  the  same 
time  accomplish  just  as  much  as 


though  they  openly  braved  the 
storm.  This  highly  respectable 
real  estate  man  did  not  intercede 
with  Captain  Hickey  for  the  release 
of  Wicked  Nell.  But  be  hurriedly 
sought  an  interview  with  one  of  the 
numerous  professionals  who  are 
always  ready  to  put  their  names  to 
any  prisoner's  bond,  for  a  con- 
sideration. In  this  case  the  sum  of 
$25  was  paid,  and  at  about  10 
o'clock  the  professional  bailor  made 
his  appearance  at  the  Armory,  with 
an  order  from  a  Justice  of  the 
Peace  for  the  release  of  Nellie 
O'Brien,  a  bond  having  been  ac- 
cepted for  her  appearance  at  court 
in  the  morning. 

Captain  Hickey  had  no  alterna- 
tive. The  law  makes  no  distinctions, 
and  if  Nellie  O'Brien  gave  the 
proper  security,  it  was  her  privilege 
to  do  so,  even  though  the  act  was 
calculated  to  do  her  irreparable 
injury,  and  perhaps  prevent  a 
reformation  that  might  have  been 
effected  had  she  been  subjected  to 
such  rigorous  treatment  as  the 
emergency  demanded. 

Her  glee  on  being  informed  that 
she  was  at  liberty  to  go  was  unboun- 
ded. She  fairly  danced  with  delight, 
and  became  so  extravagant  in  her 
conduct  that  the  bondsman  felt 
called  upon  to  warn  her  that  there 
was  danger  of  another  arrest  for 
disorderly  conduct  at  the  station, 
unless  she  behaved  herself. 

"  Where  are  you  going,  Nellie  ?" 
asked  the  captain. 

"  I'm  going  to  the  devil !"  was 
the  reply,  as  she  gathered  up  her 
ample  skirts,  tossed  her  head  back 
proudly,  and  sailed  up  A-iams  street 
in  company  with  the  man  whose 
autograph  had  proved  an  open 
sesame  to  the  prison  door. 

"  The  little  wretch  has  told  the 
truth  once,"  was  the  remark  the 
Captain  made,  as  the  footsteps  of 


the  guilty  twain  died  in  the  distance. 

"That  girl,"  he  continued,  ad- 
dressing the  station  keeper,  "  will 
be  a  wretched  old  bloat  at  twenty  ! 
She  may  keep  up  appearances  for  a 
year  or  two,  but  after  that — God 
help  her  !  She  \±&§friends  now — 
what  handsome  girl  has  not  ?  But 
when  whisky  gets  in  its  dreadful 
work,  when  dissipation  and  exces- 
sive indulgences  take  the  roses 
from  her  cheeks  and  the  sparkle 
from  ner  eyej,  when  disease  leaves 
its  horrid  imprint  upon  her  face 
and  form,  when  her  white  teeth  rot 
and  her  fair  hair  becomes  matted 
and  tangled,  and  when  all  her  beau- 
ty has  faded  as  the  leaves  fade 
when  the  biting  frosts  come,  then 
where  will  these  friends  be  ?  Why, 
they'll  be  looking  iwc  fresh  victims  ! 
They'll  be  searching  for  ,  other 
beautiful  children  to  lure  to  de- 
struction and  death !  Then  Wicked 
Nell,  as  she  calls  herself,  will  be  a 
sot — a  wreck — a  bloated,  diseased, 
scorned  thing  !  The  gutter,  the  sta- 
tion house  and  the  Bridewell  will  be 
her  home,  and  ten  chances  to  one, 
the  river's  dark  bottom  will  be  her 
final  bed  !  The  law  is  powerful, 
but  in  cases  of  this  kind  it  is  weak 
and  unavailing.  The  thief  who 
s'eals  a  few  dollars  is  pounced  upon 
and  punished ;  the  murderer  ex- 
piates his  crime  on  the  scaffold  or 
in  a  life  cell ;  but  for  the  man  who 
steals  a  widow's  child,  who  poisons 
her  young  mind,  who  drags  her 
down  to  the  level  of  a  beast,  there 
is  no  punishment !  His  crime  is 
worse  than  that  of  the  assassin ;  and 
yet  he  is  screened,  and  honored,  and 
trusted,  and  loved  just  the  same  as 
though  he  was  not  a  baser  scoundrel 
than  can  be  found  within  the  walls 
of  the  penitentiary  !" 

The  entrance  of  an  officer  with  a 
drunken  prisoner  put  an  end  to  the 
Captain's  soliloquy,  and  soon  after 
he  left  the  stafion. 


i6 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Wicked  Nell  enjoyed  the  adven- 
tures of  that  night  as  she  had  not 
enjoyed  anything  for  a  long  time. 
Excitement  made  her  happy,  and 
there  was  no  such  thing  as  getting 
too  much  of  it.  She  was  in  reality 
a  wild  girl,  and  wherever  and 
whenever  she  could  plunge  into  tur- 
bulent associations  and  participate 
in  wicked  deeds,  there  and  then  she 
was  in  her  element.  As  certain 
kinds  of  fish  delight  in  muddy  wa- 
ter, so  did  she  revel  in  the  moral 
filth  that  surrounded  the  locality 
she  had  chosen  for  a  home. 

Her  arrest  and  brief  incarcera- 
tioa  therefore  served  to  exhilarate 
rather  than  depress  her  spirits. 
Her  heart  was  as  light  as  a  snow- 
flake  when  she  shook  the  Armory 
dust  from  her  feet.  So  buoyant 
were  her  thoughts  that  she  hum- 
Hied,  as  she  n  eared  Fifth  Avenue 
with  her  money-grabbing  compan- 
ion: 

'  •  Ob,  I  feel  just  as  happy  as  a  big  tui-flower, 

Tbat  nods  and  bends  in  the  breezes, 
And  my  heart  is  as  light  as  the  wind  that 

blows 

The  leaves  from  off  the  treeses  !  " 
"  You  feel  merry  after  your  trou- 
ble," said  the  "  professional "  gen- 
tleman. 

"  "Who  told  you  I'd  had  trouble, 
old  bow-legs  ?  I've  only  been  hav- 
ing a  little  fun  I  Oh,  you  ought 
to  have  seen  the  old  woman  kick  ! 
And  then  that  boss  peeler — why, 
he  actually  tried  to  frighten  me 
with  his  cock-and-bull  stories  about 
rats  and  bugs,  and  dark  cells,  and 
cold  shower-baths  !  I  wish  I'd  just 
slapped  his  face  for  him  !  I  wili 
next  time,  as  sure's  my  name's 
Wicked  Nell  !  But  come,  old  top, 
let's  take  a  drink — I'm  devilish 
dry — ain't  you,  old  boy  ?  " 

Her  companion  seemed  to  make 
no  objection  to  the  proposal,  and 
the  two  entered  one  of  those  dis- 
reputable saloons  with  which  Wells 


street  was  then  lined.  As  they 
were  about  to  drink,  a  flashily  dress- 
ed loafer,  who  had  been  lounging 
about  the  place,  joined  them,  and 
slapping  Nell  familiarly  on  the 
back,  said : 

"  So  you  gave  the  peeler  the  slip, 
did  you  ?  " 

"  I've  been  played  for  a  sucker 
once  to-night,  but  I  guess  there's 
no  more  danger.  Have  a  drink, 
stranger  ?  " 

"  I'm  not  on  that  lay  just  now> 
but  I  could'nt  refuse  anything  from 
you !  " 

"  Well,  if  you're  not  on  the  lush 
lay-out,  what  is  your  racket  ?  " 

"  I'm  just  trying  to  catch  a  girl 
— that's  all,  sweetness  !  " 

"  And  do  you  think  you  could 
cat  :h  me  !  " 

"  I  can  try  almighty  hard,  daugh- 
ter ! " 

Nell  looked  at  him  again.  He  was 
rather  a  handsome  sort  of  a  fellow, 
with  black  hair,  an  elegant  mous- 
tache, a  fashionable  plug  hat,  pulled 
well  down  in  front,  a  heavy  gold 
watch  chain,  with  a  big  seal ;  a  dia- 
mond pin,  a  white  vest,  and  neatly 
fitting  garments.  Take  him  as  he 
stood,  he  was  just  the  sort  of  ni£ 
to  catch  a  wicked  girl's  eye,  and  Nel 
was  at  first  inclined  to  look  favor- 
ably on  his  advances.  She  had 
heard  the  other  girls  talk  about 
their  "  men,"  and  although  she  had 
been  in  a  public  house  but  a  week, 
the  wild  little  thing  considered  that 
she,  too,  must  have  a  "man."  But 
this  fellow  was  a  stranger,  and  she 
was  shrewd  enough  not  to  let  him 
know  what  her  thoughts  might  be. 

"You've  got  a  good  deal  of 
brass,"  she  said,  after  a  short  pause, 
"  and  that  goes  a  long  way  in  this 
town,  but  how  are  you  off  for  stamps? 
How  are  you  fixed  for  sugar  ?  How 
big  is  your  roll  ?  If  you  want  to 
talk  business  with  me,  you  must 
show  up  the  dust !  " 


"This  is  no  good  place  to  talk 
business,"  he  replied ;"  let's  take 
a  walk,  and  then  we  can  have  a 
talk.  I  saw  you  when  the  coppers 
had  you  in  tow,  and  I  said  to  my- 
self, says  I,  "  there  goes  a  stunner 
— that  gal's  a  thoroughbred  !  I've 
been  waiting  and  watching  for  you, 
and  now  I've  found  you  ! ' 

While  he  had  been  saying  this, 
Nell  bade  her  former  escort  an  ab- 
rupt good-bye,  and  herself  and  the 
gallus  youth,  whose  name,  even,  she 
did  not  know,  were  walking  arm- 
in-arm  on  the  sidewalk. 

"I'm  going  home,"  she  said;  "you 
can  come  along,  if  you  feel  like  it." 

Their  conversation  on  the  way 
was  of  a  trivial  nature,  and  before 
five  minutes  had  elapsed  they  were 
at  the  house  on  Jackson  street. 

"Now,  then,"  said  Nell,  after  she 
had  thrown  off  her  hat  and  shawl, 
11  what's  your  name  ?" 

"  They  call  me  Nobby  Tom,"  the 
youth  replied,  as  he  surveyed  him- 
self in  the  mirror,  apparently  to 
his  own  satisfaction. 

«  Well,  Nobby,"  she  said,  "I  don't 
think  you  and  I  can  have  any  truck 
together.  You  look  to  me  like  a 
dead  beat — a  bilk — a  masher — a 
rooster  who  travels  on  his  shape ! 
If  I  want  a  plaything,  or  a  pet,  I'll 
buy  a  poodle  dog — but  when  I  get 
a  man,  I  want  one  who's  got  sand 
in  his  gizzard!  Can  you  fight  ? 

Nobby  Tom  did'nt  like  these  un- 
kind cuts.  He  turned  red  in  the 
face  when  Nell  used  the  hard 
names,  and  was  half  inclined  to 
get  mad ;  but  the  fact  was,  he  was 
not  a  fighter,  and  he  was  a  beat. 
In  the  confusion  of  the  moment, 
not  knowing  what  to  say,  he  said 
nothing  at  all.  Noticing  his  cow- 
ardice, and  despising  him  for  it, 
Wicked  Nell  continued : 

"  Do  you  see  this  gold  chain 
around  my  neck,  and  this  diamond 
cross  ?  The  man  who  gave  me 


these  is  my  lover — he  is  a  gentle- 
man— he  is  coming  here  to-night — 
and  if  he  should  catch  you  in  this 
room  he'd  scatter  your  brains,  if 
you've  got  any,  all  over  the  carpets 
and  the  walls  !  Hark !  I  think 
I  hear  his  step  now !  Yes,  he's 
coming !" 


CHAPTER  VII. 

When  Nobby  Tom  heard  the 
words  of  Wicked  Nell,  a  cold  shiv 
er  ran  through  his  frame.  He  waa 
a  big  bluffer,  but  a  rank  coward, 
and  the  idea  of  being  found  by  a 
girl's  lover,  in  her  room  at  night, 
with  the  prospect  of  a  shooting  fes- 
tival, filled  him  with  alarm. 

"  For  God's  sake,  Nell,"  he  cried, 
"where  can  I  hide  ?  Tell,  me  quick!" 

The  poor  fellow's  voice  sounded 
as  though  he  was  suffering  from  an 
ague  chill. 

Nell  gave  him  one  withering  look, 
so  scornful  that  it  brought  a  blush 
of  shame  to  his  cheeks. 

"Crawl  under  the  bed!"  Her 
words  were  uttered  with  a  con- 
temptuous curl  of  the  lip,  as  she 
pointed  her  pretty  finger  to  the 
foot  of  the  bed. 

The  frightened  fellow  needed  no 
second  invitation.  At  that  time 
he  could  have  crawled  through  a 
kej  hole,  if  no  other  avenue  of  es- 
cape had  been  offered,  for  he  im- 
agined he  stood  in  imminent  peril. 
But  it  was  only  imagination. 
Wicked  Nell  was  never  so  happy 
as  when  she  could  cause  trouble. 
She  was  always  as  full  of  the  devil 
as  a  bloated  bed-bug  is  full  of 
blood.  It  was  true  that  she  ex- 
pected a  visit  from  her  real  estate 
friend  that  night;  but  she  knew 
him  to  be  a  timid,  harmless  man, 
who  would  run  his  legs  off  rather 
than  engage  in  any  dispute  that 
oould,  by  any  possibility,  come  to 
blows.  She  rather  liked  him  be- 
cause he  was  generous ;  but  she 


could  not  love  him,  because  he  was 
not  brave. 

"  Now,  you  stay  where  you  are, 
and  I'll  try  and  get  you  away  with 
a  whole  hide,"  she  said,  as  she 
opened  the  door,  walked  out,  and 
closed  the  door  behind  her. 

"  I'd  like  to  keep  the  dung  hill 
there  all  night,"  were  her  thoughts, 
."and  I  would,  too,  if  I  did'nt  ex- 
pect company  that  will  pay.  JJut 
I'll  have  some  fun  with  him  any- 
way !" 

Nell  found  in  the  other  room, 
a  young  loafer,  with  whom  she  was 
somewhat  acquainted,  who  was 
known  as  Freckled  Jim.  He  was 
a  thick-set,  red-headed  bummer, 
who  made  a  living  by  steering  cus- 
tomers to  the  low  women  of  Wells 
and  adjoining  streets,  and  divid- 
ing with  them  the  spoils.  Nell 
hated  him  on  general  principles, 
but  at  that  time  she  had  use  for  him. 

"  Jim,"  she  whispered,  "  I  want 
you  to  come  into  my  room  a  few 
minutes." 

The  fellow  had  been  trying  to 
make  love  to  her  for  a  week,  and 
supposing  she  had  at  last  yielded 
to  his  entreaties,  his  rapture  knew 
no  bounds.  Sticking  out  a  rough 
and  rather  dirty  paw,  he  exclaimed: 

"  Shake ! " 

"Don't  be  too  fast,  sir,"  said 
Nell,  drawing  back  a  little  ;  "I  only 
want  you  to  play  that  you're  my 
lover,  so  that  we  can  have  a  little 
fun." 

Jim's  chop  fell  about  three  in- 
ches, but  he  was  not  the  kind  of  a 
man  to  give  way  to  disappointment. 
Wicked  Nell  then,  in  a  few  words, 
explained  to  him  the  situation,  and 
gave  him  instructions  as  to  what 
she  wanted.  Then  the  play  began. 
Opening  the  door  just  a  little,  she 
said: 

"Please  don't  come  in,  darling ! 
I  have  particular  reasons  for  want- 
ing to  be  alone  for  half  an  hour." 


In  a  harsh,  deep  bass  voice  the 
pretended  lover  replied : 

"  And  I  have  particular  reasons 
for  coming  in  now  !  Come,  now, 
either  let  me  in  peaceably  arid  pleas- 
antly, or  I'll  let  you  know  that  I 
can  come  in  another  way  !  Do  you 
understand  ?" 

"  Well,  if  you  will  be  so  mean, 
I  don't  suppose  I  can  help  myself 
— so  come  along,  and  sit  down,  you 
jealous  old  creatuie  !" 

"  I  don't  know  whether  I  want 
to  sit  down  or  not,"  was  the  ungra- 
cious reply. 

"  What's  the  matter  with  you, 
darling  ?  What  have  I  done  ?  Are 
you  mad  because  I  sent  for  ycu  to 
get  me  out  of  trouble  ?" 

"  No,  not  that — but  I  have  my 
suspicions !" 

"  Suspicions  !  What  in  the  world 
do  you  suspect  /" 

"  What  should  I  suspect,  when 
I  come  here  after  paying  twenty- 
five  dollars  for  you,  and  find  my- 
self barred  out  ?  Nell,  I  believe 
you've  been  playing  dirt  on  me  !" 

The  wicked  girl  could  not  help 
but  laugh. 

"  That's  the  funniest  thing  I 
ever  heard  a  man  say,"  she  said, 
merrily,  "  tVho  makes  a  living  by 
dealing  in  dirt!" 

"Oh,  don't  try  to  get  out  of  this 
by  making  bad  jokes  !  That  dodge 
won't  go  down  !  Come,  Nell,  own 
up — have  you  had  a  man  here,  since 
I  came  !" 

"  Well,  suppose  I  had,  what  are 
you  going  to  do  about  it  ?" 

This  was  uttered  with  a  display 
of  spunk  quite  natural  for  a  high- 
strung  girl. 

"  Suppose  you  had !  Do  you 
know  what  I'd  do  if  I  should  find 
a  man  in  this  room  to-night  ?  I'd 
chaw  his  ears  off !  I'd  bite  of  his 
nose !  I'd  scalp  him  !  « I'd  take 
this  knife  out  of  my  boot  and  carve 
him  !  I'd  cut  off  his  toes  and  fin- 


21 


geis  !  I'd  gouge  out  his  eyes  !  And 
then  I'd  drag  him  down  to  the  riv- 
er, tie  a  big  stone  to  his  neck,  and 
heave  him  out  into  the  middle  of 
the  creek  !  That's  what  I'd  do  ! " 
Nobby  Tom  commenced  to  say 
his  prayers.  His  teeth  chattered, 
and  he  could  hardly  keep  from 
groaning,  so  great  was  his  terror. 
Fully  appreciating  this,  Wicked 
Nell  found  it  quite  as  difficult  to 
restrain  herself  from  shrieking  out- 
right, so  full  was  she  of  cussedness 
and  glee.  She  controlled  herself, 
and  with  well- feigned  distress  kept 
up  her  role. 

"  Oh,  dear,"  she  said,  falling  upon 
her  knees,  "  you  will  drive  me  cra- 
zy, if  you  keep  on  in  that  way  ! 
I'rn  sure  I  couldn't  help  it,  if  a 
man  did  come !  You  know  what 
kind  of  a  house  this  is,  and  what 
men  expect  when  they  come  here!  " 
With  a  terrible  oath,  that  would 
have  raised  the  roof  off  of  a  house 
that  was  not  used  to  them,  Freck- 
led Jim  roared  : 

"  Then  somebody  is  here  !  I  know 
it  !  I  smell  him !  Oh,  let  me 
find  him  !  Let  me  get  my  hands 
on  him !" 

"  Mercy  !"  shrieked  Wicked  Nell, 
"Mercy!"  And  she  fell  to  the 
floor,  having  apparently  swooned. 

Freckled  Jim  rushed  to  a  closet, 
and  fumbled  arouud  among  the 
clothing,  exclaiming  in  loud  tones, 
"  come  out  of  here,  you  cowardly 
scoundrel,  come  out  and  face  me 
like  a  man  !  " 

''  This  is  my  only  chance,"  thought 
Nobby  Tom,  and  with  the  quickness 
of  a  cat  he  crawled  from  his  hid- 
ing place,  sprang  for  the  door,  suc- 
ce<ied  in  opening  it,  and  darted  out 
with  lightning  speed. 

The  opportunity  had  been  given 
bin:  •  intentionally,  and  Freckled 
Jim,  who  was  on  the  watch,  managed 
to  give  the  fleeing  and  frightened 
sport  a  parting  k^ck  that  fairly 


made  him  grunt.  Tom  never 
ped  to  look  behind,  neither  did  he 
return  to  get  his  hat,  which  in  the 
haste  of  his  departure  he  left  be- 
hind ;  but  he  thanked  his  ;  lucky 
stars  that  he  had  his  nose,  and  his 
ears,  and  his  fingers,  and  his  toel/ 
and  C:\atall  his  other  parts,  save,  per- 
haps, one,  were  rescued  from  the 
fury  of  that  savage,  blood-thirsty 
victim  of  love  and  jealousy. 

Wicked  Nell  was  just  springing 
from  the  floor,  with  a  screaming 
laugh,  when  who  should  stand  be- 
fore her  but  her  real  lover  ! — and 
there  was  a  dark  frown  upon  his 
brow  ! 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Thus  far,  in  this  true  story  of  real 
life,  no  reference  has  been  made  to 
events  preceding  the  night  of 
Wicked  Nell's  arrest.  There  are 
probably  many  who  wonder  why  a 
girl  of  acknowledged  beauty,  and 
who  would  be  a  profitable  card  for 
the  best  house  of  ill-fame  in  the 
city,  should  seek  a  home  in  such 
a  low  resort  as  she  was  found  in  on 
Jackson  street.  In  order  to  make 
our  narrative  clear  and  consistent., 
it  is  necessary  to  take  a  short 
backward  step. 

Nellie  O'Brien,  as  has  already 
been  intimated,  was  a  precocious 
little  maiden.  She  was,  undoubt- 
edly, the  wickedest  child  ever  bore 
in  this  abominably  wicked  city. 
Even  before  she  was  ten  years  of 
age,  her  parents  had  no  control 
over  her  actions,  and  she  roamed 
the  streets,  night  and  day,  associa- 
ting with  the  vilest  characters, 
frequenting  low  doggeries,  and  par- 
ticipating in  orgies  that  even  the 
old  prostitutes  themselves  shunned. 
In  these  places  she  was  a  pet. 
Profligate  men  and  women  made 
much  of  her,  treated'  her  with 
marked  consideration,  and  looked 
upon  her  as  nothing  else  than  a 


22 


Little  Wonder.  Ueiore  she  was 
eleven  years  of  age  she  acquired 
the  title  of  Wicked  Nell,  and  was 
so  proud  of  it  that  a  frown  settled 
upon  her  fair  brow  when  called  by 
any  other  name.  It  is  horrible, 
but  it  is  true,  that  about  this  time, 
when  she  was  running  bare-footed 
and  bare-headed  about  the  streets, 
Nellie  O'Brien,  the  mere  child,  was 
seduced  I  It  was  a  feat  easily  to  be 
accomplished,  but  so  dastardly  that 
is  would  seem  impossible  that  a 
wretch  could  be  found  whose  black- 
ened, guilty  soul  would  not  shrink 
from  the  deed !  Let  those  who 
doubt  look .  at  the  daily  record  of 
crime.  Let  them  go  down  to 
Indianapolis,  and  learn  the  sad 
story  of  seduction  brought  to  light 
concerning  the  licentious  conduct 
of  the  Superintendent  of  a  deaf  and 
dumb  asylum/  who  did  not  scruple 
to  clasp  in  uiiholy  embrace  the  un- 
fortunate children  whose  lips  never 
lisped  a  syllable,  and  whose  ears  no 
sound  ever  penetrated  !  Let  them 
go  down  to  New  Jersey,  and  look 
upon  the  grave  of  a  poor  young 
girl  who  was  polluted  and  murdereo 
by  an  accursed  wretch  who  dare.- 
stand  up  before  his  fellow  men  and 
preach  the  gospel  of  the  thorn- 
crowned  Prince  of  Peace !  Let 
them  carefully  peruse  the  long  list 
of  unnatural  crimes  that  every  day 
stares  at  them  from  the  printed 
pages  that  come  damp  from  the 
morning  press;  and  having  done 
this,  they  can  doubt  r.o  more. 

Wicked  Nell,  in  the  course  of  her 
wanderings,  formed  the  acquaint- 
ance of  a  girl  of  about  her  own  age, 
and  whose  ideas  of  morality  were 
about  as  loose  as  they  could  be. 
The  right  name  of  this  girl  was 
Jane  Smith,  but  she  was  known  by 
the  gang  a-s  "  Red-headed  Jennie." 
This  gir\,'  though  vulgar  and  de- 
based, as  well  as  debauched,  could 
not  compare  with  Nell,  in  the 


matter  of  cussedness,  and  was  not  a. 
star,  as  Nell  was,  although  her 
inclinations  were  all  in  the  way  of 
wickedness.  Jennie  was  riot  hand- 
some, either,  though  far  from  being 
ugly  in  looks. 

These  two  girls,  one  day,  sat 
down  in  the  shade  of  a  doorway 
for  a  talk. 

"  Jennie,"  said  Nell,  "  what's  the 
use  of  our  bumming  around  any 
longer  as  we  have  ?  Let's  turn 
out !  What  do  you  say  ?" 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  that  ?" 
replied  the  red-head.  "I  should 
think  is  was  a  little  too  late,  now,  to 
talk  of  doing  that.  It  seems  to  me 
that  both  of  us  are  already  on  the 
town !" 

"  What  I  mean  is,"  said  Nell, 
"  that  we  go  and  live  in  a  regular 
house,  where  we  can  make  lots  of 
money  !" 

"If  you  will,  I  will,"  was  Jennie's 
ready  reply  ;  "  but  we  want  nice 
dresses  and  jewelry — where  can  we 
get  them  ?"  ' 

"  Oh,  that's  easy  enough.  There's 
been  a  nice  gentleman  after  me  for 
six  months,  and  I've  been  playing 
off  on  him.  He  thinks  me  a  wild 
girl,  but  don't  know  that  I'm  bad. 
lie's  offered  me  money  more  than 
a  dozen  times  to  get  all  the  clothes 
I  want,  if  I  would  let  him  be  my 
lover.  I'll  send  him  a  note  this 
afternoon,  meet  him  to  night,  and 
in  a  few  days  we  can  be  rigged  out 
as  gay  as  any  two  girls  in  Chicago !" 

"Nell,"  exclaimed  Jennie, enthusi- 
astically, "  You're  a  bully  girl ! 
I'm  with  you  J  My  old  dad,  and 
the  old  woman,  too,  can  both  go  to 
the  devil !  I'll  be  my  own  boss, 
now !  Oh,  won't  it  be  gay  !  Then 
we  can  wear  silks,  we  can  go  hack- 
riding  with  the  boys  !  We  can  go 
to  the  matinees,  and  take  in  the 
mashers  !  We  can  have  great  rolls 
of  greenbacks,  and  live  as  high  as 
real  ladies !" 


It  was  thus  that  the  compact  was 
made.  Wicked  Nell  was  not  mis- 
taken in  ner  calculations.  She  met 
the  man  she  had  been  "  playing  off" 
on,  who  gave  her  all  the  money  nec- 
essary, and  early  the  next  morning 
the  two  wicked  and  giddy  young 
creatures  made  their  purchases, 
and  engaged  the  services  of  a  dress 
maker.  In  three  days  they  were 
rigged  out  like  .two  butterflies. 

When  they  had  '  dressed  for  the 
occasion,"  the  two  girls  set  out  in 
quest  of  a  boarding  house. 

"  My  friend  advised  me  to  go  to 
Madame  Herrick,"  said  Nell,  and 
to  the  noted  white  frame  house  on 
State  street  they  directed  their 
footsteps. 

The  Madame  answered  the  ring 
herself. 

"  What  do  you  want  here,  chil- 
dren?" she  said,  eying  them  sharply. 

"We  wan't  to  come  here  to  live," 
replied  Nell,  with  bold  face  and  un- 
flinching eye. 

"  Come  in!" 

Nell  and  Jennie  entered,  highly 
elated  at  their  success.  They  fol- 
lowed Madame  Herrick  into  the 
front  parlor,  and  were  lost  in  wonder 
and  admiration  as  they  gazed  upon 
the  magnificent  surroundings — the 
marble  tables,  the  rich  tap  stry,  the 
oil  paintings,  and  the  evidences  on 
every  hand  of  wealth  and  luxury. 

The  old  lady  closed  the  door 
after  them,  and  motioned  them  to  a 
seat  on  the  sofa. 

"  Sit  down,  children,"  she  said, 
"  I  want  to  talk  to  you  !" 

Nell  and  Jennie  did  not  relish  the 
idea  of  being  called  "  children,"  but 
they  obeyed  the  directions  of  the 
owner  of  the  house,  and  awaited 
her  pleasure.  Taking  a  seat  in  her 
easy  chair,  directly  in  front  of 
them,  Madame  Herrick  raised  her 
spectacles  from  their  natural  resting 
place  to  her  forehead,  and  thus 
addressed  them :  - 


'%  You  have  come  to  my  house  for 
board,"  she  said,  earnestly.  "Who- 
ever sent  you  here,  could  not  have 
known  me,  or  they  would  never 
have  recommended  you  to  ring  my 
door  bell.  But  you  are  here,  and  it 
is  my  duty  to  speak  to  you  as  I 
would  were  you  my  own  children. 
Girls,  I  was  once  a  Christian  wo- 
man, and  I  know  what  it  is  to  be 
good,  and  what  it  is  to  be  bad.  I 
have  seen  so  much  of  this  world 
and  its  wickedness,  that  I  shudder 
when  I  think  of  it.  Now,  then,  I 
want  to  tell  you  this  :  You  two 
girls  are  thoughtless,  heedless,  giddy 
things.  You  have  no  idea  what 
you  are  coming  to.  If  you  enter  a 
douse  of  this  kind,  you  will  go  to 
wreck  and  ruin  within  five  years  ! 
Neither  one  of  you  has  enough  sense 
to  become  a  prostitute,  even  if  you 
feel  inclined  to  do  so.  You  are  the 
kind  of  girls  who  would  drink,  and. 
smoke,  and  chew  snuff,  and  fight 
and  go  to  the  devil  direct.  I  am  an 
old  woman,  and  I  can  see  vicious- 
ness  in  both  your  faces — enough  of 
it  to  ruin  a  dozen  girls,  if  it  could 
be  distributed  among  them.  I 
wouldn't  have  you  in  my  house  un- 
der any  circumstances,  and  God 
knows  I  wouldn't  be  guilty  of  lead 
ing  to  ruin  any  girls  of  your  age 
I  want  you  to  take  my  advice 
and  go  right  home  to  your  mothers. 
You  ought  to  be  in  school  now,  in- 
stead of  looking  for  a  home  in  a 
house  of  ill  fame  !  You  can  go, 
now,  children,  but  remember  what 
old  mother  Herrick  told  you  !  Re 
member  that  Death  ever  lurks  in 
the  pathway  of  the  outcast,  and 
that  all  who  travel  in  it  go  to  swift 
and  sure  destruction  /" 

Bold  and  brazen  as  they  were, 
neither  Nell  nor  Jennie  had  a  word 
to  say.  They  could  not  look  that 
experienced  old  woman  in  the  face, 
and  attempt  any  excuses  for  their 
conduct. 


Without  a  word,  therefore  they 
to^k  their  departure. 

When  once  on  the  outside  Wick- 
ed Nell  gave  a  long  sigh  of  relief 

"  Well  !  Upon  my  soul,  that  old 
woman  has  made  a  big  mistake  ! 
She  was  cut  out  for  a  Saint,  just 
as  certain  as  I  was  for  a  devil !" 
And  Nell  laughed  immoderately  at 
what  she  considered  a  first-class  joke. 
"  But  what  will  we  do  now  ? 
Where  shall  we  go  ?"  Inquired 
Jennie, who  felt  somewhat  blue  over 
the  prospect  that  had  looked  so 
bright  but  a  few  hours  before. 

"Do!"  We'll  find  a  boarding 
house  within  another  hour  !  These 
high-toned  houses  won't  take  us  in, 
I  know  where  there  are  places  where 
a  baby  would  be  welcomed  J  I  know 
where  they  are,  and  I'll  go  there  ! 
We're  on  the  town  now,  Jennie,  and 
I  for  one  will  stay  there  !  No  good 
girl  business  for  me  !  No  work  for 
Wicked  Nell  !  I'm  bound  to  lead 

a  Say  ltfe->  an^  1'^  ^°  i*  *f  •"•  don't 
last  a  month  !  What  do  you  say, 
J.n  ?  Are  you  with  me  ?  " 

"  / '//  stick  by  you  to  the  death  !  " 
"  Shake  on  that !    You're  a  brave 
gal !     From  this  time  on  we   are 
twin  sisters  in  wickedness  /" 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  two  bad  girln,  believing  that 
it  would  be  useless  to  make  farther 
efforts  •  to  obtain  admittance  to  a 
house  of  ill-fime  making  any  pre- 
tence to  decency,  determined  to  ap- 
ply to  the  Jackson  street  den,  kept 
by  a  debased  woman  named  Annie 
Davis,  but  more  familiarly  known 
as  Pock-marked  Ann.  Thither, 
therefore,  they  directed  their  foot- 
steps, after  the  unsatisfactory  inter- 
view with  Madame  Herri ck. 

The  place  kept  by  Pock-marked 
Asm  was  as  low  as  any  that  could 
be  found  in  the  city.  It  was  a  one- 
story  wooden  structure,  with  front 
door  opening  directly  into  the  par- 


lor, three  small  bed  rooms,  and  a 
rear  shanty  that  served  as  i  kitchen 
and  dining  room.  There  was  a 
common  cheap  carpet,  well-worn, 
upon  the  floor,  a  few  lewd  pictures 
upon  the  dirty  walls,  and  other  fur- 
niture to  correspond.  The  fre- 
quenters of  the  place  were  sailors, 
laboring  men  and  the  class  of  crea- 
tures commonly  denominated  as 
pimps. 

The  girls  both  knew  Pock-marked 
Ann,  and  many  times,  as  with  bare 
feet  and  tangled  hair  they  had  loiter- 
ed about  the  neighborhood,  she  had 
invited  them  in,  for  purposes  the 
foulest  the  human  mind  can  con- 
ceive. 

They  found  Ann  seated  in  a  rock- 
ing chair,  smoking  a  cigar.  The  af- 
ternoon was  warm,  the  neighbor- 
hood was  deserted,  and  the  "  ladies" 
of  the  establishment  were  reclining 
in  different  postures,  more  or  les's 
indecent.  There  were  four  girls 
in  the  house,  aside  from  the  "  land- 
lady."  . 

To  look  at  these  creatures  that 
we  have  called  girls,  would  produce 
emotions  as  antagonistic  as  fire  and 
water.  The  first  feeling,  as  the 
eye  rested  upon  their  red  and  wa- 
tery eyes,  their  bloated  and  brazen 
faces,  their  decayed  teeth,  and 
their  general  appearance  of  degra- 
dation, would  be  loathing  and  dis- 
gust. "  What  man  would  take  to 
his  bosom  such  a  wretch  ?"  would 
be  the  question  that  would  force 
itself  to  the  lips,  as  the  eye 
pointed  out  these  repulsive  features. 
It  would  seem  impossible  that  any 
human  being  could  look  upon  them 
and  not  shudder  and  recoil — yes, 
flee  in  fright  as  from  the  presence 
of  some  reptile  whose  sting  would 
be  certain  death. 

And  to  the  young  men  who  read 
this  story  the  author  would  say : 
Better,  far  better,  take  a  rattlesnake 
to  your  bosom,  and  let  its  sharp 


25 


fangs,  with  their  deadly  saliva, 
pierce  you  in  a  hundred  places, 
than  take  to  your  arms  for  one  brief 
minute  any  one  of  these  ulcerated 
and  rotten  wretches  !  The  poison 
of  the  one  kills  quickly ;  but  the 
equally  venomous  sting  of  the  other 
eats  slowly  into  the  vitals,  produc- 
ing lingering  torture,  and  carries 
its  victim  to  a  death-bed  whose  hor- 
rors no  pen  can  describe  on  paper, 
no  brush  depict  on  canvas !  The 
pages  of  the  history  of  prostitution 
are  all  blotched  over  with  recitals 
of  the  ravages  of  the  peculiar  di- 
seases incident  to  the  brothel,  and 
thousands  upon  thousands  of  robust 
young  men  have  been  swept  away 
by  the  tide  of  corruption  into  which 
they  have  recklessly  and  thought- 
lessly plunged  !  There  are  hun- 
dreds of  these  low  down  unfortu 
nates  in  Chicago  to-day !  They 
leer  at  you  from  the  doors  and  win- 
dows of  their  wicked  homes  ;  they 
stare  at  you  on  the  walk ;  they  hail 
you  on  the  street;  they  embrace 
you  in  the  saloons  of  Clark  street 
and  Pacific  avenue  !  Beware,  young 
man,  beware  !  They  sow  the  seed 
that  sprouts  in  pain,  grows  in  ag- 
ony, blossoms  in  ulcers,  and  ripens 
in  death  I 

Looking  at  them,  then,  with  a  full 
consciousness  of  their  ugliness  and 
their  danger,  and  what  man  could 
do  otherwise  than  turn  his  face  away 
from  them  in  disgust  and  alarm  ? 

And  yet,  these  out  casts  are  hu- 
man beings.  Once  they  were  pure. 
Like  Wicked  Nell,  some  of  them 
may  have  resorted  to  the  bagnio 
from  choice,  but  nine-tenths  of  them 
have  been  made  the  victims  of  man's 
lust  and  baseness !  They  have  been 
deceived,  betrayed,  abandoned, 
thrown  upon  the  world !  .  Sacred 
vows  have  been  disregarded,  solemn 
pledges  have  been  broken — the 
cruel  world  has  turned  its  scornful 
back  upon  them,  and  they  have 


been  driven  down  the  broad  road  to 
ruin,  as  cattle  are  driven  to  the 
slaughter  pen.  Resistance  was  vain. 
Their  arms  were  weak,  the  current 
was  strong,  no  friendly  helping 
hand  was  held  out,  and  on  they 
were  carried  until  they  found  them- 
selves floundering  way  out  upon  the 
broad  sea,  rudderless,  compassless, 
and  with  the  terrible  knowledge 
that  they  were  cast  oft7,  scorned,  re- 
viled, loathed,  despised,  shunned  ! 

This  is  the  condition  of  those 
poor  creatures — God  help  them  ! 

As  the  two  girls  entered,  Pock- 
marked Ann  blew  a  cloud  of  smoke 
from  her  mouth,  and  looked  up  at 
her  visitors  in  surprise.  To  save 
her  life  she  could  not  have  told  who 
they  were,  so  perfectly  were  they 
disguised.  Yet  she  saw  they  were 
young  and  pretty,  and  with  a  smil- 
ing face  and  pleasant  words  she  in- 
vited them  to  come  in. 

"  We  are  looking  for  a  boarding 
house,"  said  Nell. 

Her  voice  betrayed  her,  and 
Anna  Davis  sprang  from  her  seat. 

"As  I'm  a  sinner,"  she  exclaim- 
ed, "  I  believe  this  is  Wicked  Nell !" 

"  There's  no  do*ubt  about  your 
being  a  sinner,  and  nobody  ever 
said  I  was  very  good"  said  Nell,  in 
reply;  "but  don't  you  know  this 
girl,  too  ?  " 

Pock-marked  Ann  looked  and 
shook  her  head,  but  she  finally  pen- 
etrated the  disguise,  and  replied : 

"  Red-headed  Jennie,  by  G— ! " 

"Well,  Mrs.  Davis,  are  you  going 
to  take  us  poor  girls  in  ?  " 

This  woman  Davis  really  had  no. 
vacant  room  in  the  hou-e,  having 
but  two  bed  rooms  in  all;  but  she 
could  not  afford  to  let  this  golden 
opportunity  pass.  There  was  money 
in  those  two  young  girls,  and  she 
would  have  turned  every  soul  out  of 
the  house,  if  necessary,  to  secure 
them.  Without  hesitating  after  the 
question  had  been  asked,  she  said: 


26 


"  Of  course  I  will  take  you  in  ! 
Haven't  I  invited  you  to  come  more 
than  a  dozen  times  ?  Yes,  take  off 
your  hats,  make  yourselves  at  home, 
and  I'll  fit  up  the  nicest  room  in 
the  house  for  you  !  Wouldn't  you 
like  a  glass  of  wine,  now  that  you 
are  going  to  be  regular  boarders  ?  " 

"  Oh,  I'm  dying  for  a  drink  !  "  and 
Wicked  Nell,  with  her  partner, 
drank  off  the  sparkling  fluid  as 
though  they  were  old  stagers,  in- 
stead of  mere  children. 

They  then  took  off  their  hats,  and 
as  Nell  threw  herself  upon  a  sofa  in 
the  parlor  she  pulled  Jennie  down 
also,  threw  her  arms  about  her  and 
exclaimed : 

"  Jen,  we  have  found  a  home ! 
We  are  on  the  turf !  We  are  two 
gay  girls  on  the  town  !  "  And  the 
foolish  girl  laughed  so  loudly  that 
the  merry  peal  could  be  heard  a 
block  away. 


CHAPTER  X. 

We  have  alluded  to  the  real 
estate  dealer  on  LaSalle  street,  but 
have  given  no  name.  As  this  is  a 
trlie  story,  it  was  our  intention  to 
give  genuine  names  to  all  the  char- 
acters ;  but  in  this  instance,  we  are 
compelled  to  deviate  from  the  rule. 
Wicked  Nell's  first  lover  was  then 
sowing  his  wild  oats — at  the  time 
of  this  writing  he  is  a  far  different 
man,  and  it  would  be  doing  him  a 
great  wrong  to  rake  up  the  dead 
arid  forgotten  past,  *nd  narrate  the 
exploits  that  are  now  recalled  by 
him  with  the  keenest  regret.  For 
this  reason  we  will  call  him  Charles 
Williams — the  first  name  only  being 
real.  Wicked  Nell  sent  for  him  at 
once,  after  having  found  a  boarding 
house,  and  he  had  visited  her  every 
day,  up  to  the  time  he  found  her 
in  the  questionable  company  of 
Freckled  Jim. 

Nell  had  not  anticipated  such  a 
surprise,  and  her  usual  self-posses- 


sion deserted  her.  For  the  first 
time  in  her  life,  the  girl  blushed  I 
Itwas  not  the  blush  of  shame,  but 
was  caused  by  mortification  and 
embarassment.  Though  she  was 
incapable  of  love,  yet  she  thought  a 
great  deal  of  Charley  Williams, 
because  he  was  liberal,  affectionate, 
and  kind;  and  to  be  caught  in 
such  a  predicament  was  painfully 
unfortunate. 

"Nellie,"  said  Charlie,  with  a 
sober  face,  "  what  does  this  mean  ? 
What  have  you  been  doing  ?" 

The  girl  stammered,  but  made  no 
immediate  reply. 

Her  lover  turned  red  in  the  face. 

"  Is  this  the  way  you  'keep  your 
promise  ?"  he  continued  ;  "  is  this 
the  way  you  keep  a  pledge  to  be 
faithful  and  true  ?" 

"  I  will  explain  everything,  if 
you  will  only  give  me  time,"  said 
Nell,  who  was  now  upon  her  feet, 
and  had  partially  regained  her 
composure. 

"  Before  you  make  any  further 
explanation,  perhaps  you  had  better 
tell  me  who  this  fellow  is,  and  what 
he  is  doing  in  your  room  !" 

The  comtempt  in  the  man's  look 
and  voice  nettled  Freckled  Jim, 
and  assuming  a  belligerent  attitude 
he  said : 

"  Say,  you  baby-faced  rooster,  wat 
yer  got  to  say  about  it,  anyway  ?" 

"  I  was  not  talking  to  you,  sir," 
Charlie  replied,  stepping  back,  and 
turning  a  shade  paler. 

"  But  I'm  talking  to  you,  sir  !  If 
yer  don't  like  the  looks  of  this  lay- 
out, just  square  yourself,  like  a 
game  man,  and  we'll  have  it  right 
out  here  !" 

By  this  time  Wicked  Nell  had 
stepped  between  them.  The  girl 
was  "  game  from  the  ground  up,"  if 
her  lover  was  not. 

•'  Young  man,"  she  said,  address- 
ing Fred,  "  I  have  got  through 


with  you — you  have  done  all  that  I 
asked  you  to — now,  git !" 

Her  shapely  finger  pointed  to  the 
door,  and  her  eyes  blazed  with 
excitement. 

*'  All  right,  sis,  if  you  say  so,  I'm 
off — but  if  that  sucker  gives  me  any- 
lip  again,  let  him  look  out  for  his 
smeller,  that's  all!"  and  with  a 
loaferish  swagger  he  left  the  room, 
and  proceeded  to  some  other  haunt 
in  the  locality. 

Wicked  Nell  then  turned  to  her 
lover  and  said : 

"  Don't  look  so  ugly,  Charley,  for 
I  have  only  been  having  a  little  fun, 
and  have  not  broken  any  promise. 
Sit  down,  now,  like  a  good  man, 
and  let  me  wil  you  all  about  it." 

"  I  will  sit  down,  and  you  can  tell 
me  what  you  wish — but  you  must 
allow  me  to  believe  only  as  much 
or  as  little  of  what  you  say  as  I 
think  proper." 

"  Oh,  dear,  what  a  jealous  lover 
}'ou  are !  Why,  any  one  would 
think  I  had  done  something  awful, 
to  judge  by  your  looks,  and  your 
words." 

"  Yes,  and  you  have  done  some- 
thing awful !  You  have  deceived  a 
good  solid  friend,  for  the  companion- 
ship of  a  common  loafer — a  dirty 
pimp  !  I  am  not  soft  enough  to  let 
you  pull  the  wool  over  my  eyes, 
after  what  I  have  seen  !" 

"Then  you  won't  let  me  coax 
you  ?"  Nell  was  getting  a  little 
"  riled,"  and  there  was  a  perceptible 
threat  in  her  voice,  if  not  her  words. 

"  I  don't  think  you  can  !  I  would 
be  a  fool  to  let  you,  with  your  sweet 
smiles,  and  your  soft  words,  and 
your  affectionate  embraces,  make  me 
believe  that  black  is  white — that 
this  ruffian  that  you  called  Fred 
was  not  in  this  room — that  you  are 
not  false  as  you  are  fair !" 

"  Charlie  Williams,  stop  !  If  you 
have  come  here  to  abuse  me,  to  in- 
sult me,  to  charge  me  with  some- 


thing I  have  not  done,  you  had 
better  take  your  hat  and  walk  !" 

"  It  might  have  been  better  for 
me  if  I  had  told  your  messenger  to 
walk,  when  she  came  to  me  this 
evening !" 

"  I  wish  you  had  !  I  had  rather 
be  in  jail,  and  stay  there,  than  have 
any  man  throw  it  up  into  my  face 
that  he  has  done  me  a  favor,  and 
is  sorry  for  it !" 

"  Did  I  say  I  was  sorry  ?" 

"  No,  but  you  might  as  well." 

"  Nell,  you  are  a  strange  girl. 
You  are  rightly  named — Wicked 
Nell !" 

"  I  know  I  am  !  Suppose  I  had 
been  a  good  girl — would  I  have  had 
anything  to  do  with  you  ?" 

"  Probably  not ;  but  a  girl  need 
not  be  lost  to  all  decency,  totally 
depraved,  because  she  has  erred  in 
one  particular." 

"  I  told  you  that  I  had  not 
wronged  you,  a  little  while  ago,  and 
you  sneered  at  me,  and  might  as 
well  have  said,  '•Nell,  you  lie  /" 

"  I  believed  that  you  did  lie  !  I 
think  so  still !  If  you  did  not,  then 
circumstances  lie !" 

'k  Well,  you  can  believe  me  or 
not,  just  as  you  choose  !  It  makes 
little  difference  to  me,  for  I  can  get 
a  hundred  lovers  before  sundown 
to-morrow,  if  I  try  !" 

"  Oh,  I  suppose  you  can !  But 
such  lovers  !  This  Fred  is  a  good 
specimen  ! " 

"  Fred  be  d — d  !  I  have  used\*.\m, 
sir,  but  there  are  gentlemen  who 
are  anxious  to  take  your  place  !  A 
dozen  of  them  have  been  writing  to 
me,  and  sending  after  me,  and 
coming  here  to  see  me,  and  I  like  a 
fool  have  told  them  all  to  keep  their 
distance !" 

"  You  seem  to  be  rather  anxious 
to  get  rid  of  me,  Nell,"  he  said,  in 
tones  more  kind  than  he  had  used 
before  ;  "are  you  really  tired  of  me, 
so  quick  ?" 


28 


"  You  are  the  one  who  seems  to 
begetting  tired,"  said  Nell,  "but 
come  now,  Charlie,  let's  quit  quarel- 
ing  until  I  can  tell  you  all  about  it, 
and  then  if  you  want  to  keep  your 
back  up,  all  right." 

Her  lover  sat  down  as  requested, 
and  Nell  told  him  the  whole  story, 
just  as  it  has  been  related  in  preced- 
ing chapters.  When  she  had  finished, 
Charlie  Williams  threw  his  arms 
around  the  wilful,  wicked  girl. 

"  My  darling,"  he  said, "  I  believe 
you  !  I  was  a  brute  to  talk  to  you 
the  way  I  did  !  Will  you  forgive 
me,  Nell  ?" 

"  With  all  my  heart !  You  were  a 
brute,  I  know,  but  you  werejea/vus, 
Charley,  and  they  say  that  men  are 
rot  responsible  for  what  they  do,  in 
such  cases." 

The  lovers  had  made  up. 

"  Now,  Nell,"  said  Charley,  after  a 
few  more  endearing  words  had  been 
spoken,  "  I  want  to  talk  to  you  seri- 
ously, and  I  want  you  to  think  seri- 
ously of  what  I  say." 

<k  Well,  fire  ahead,  then  ;  I'll  be 
as  solemn  and  as  sober  as  a  parson 
at  a  funeral." 

"  This  is  no  place  for  you,  Nell !" 

"  1  expect  to  change  my  board- 
ing house  to-morrow." 

"  Where  are  you  going  ?" 

"  To  the  Bridewell !" 

"  Oh  .nonsense  !  You  know  that  I 
wouldn't  let  you  go  there  !  But  I 
have  found  a  nice,  quiet  place,  where 
you  can  go  and  live  like  a  lady, 
where  there  are  very  few  visitors, 
no  exciting  brawls,  and  people  would 
take  you  for  a  respectable  girl. 
What  do  you  say,  my  darling  ?" 

"  I  won't  do  it !" 

k'Why  not,  Nell?" 

*'  Because  I'm  too  wicked  !  I  love 
excitement !  I  love  tto  see  quarrels 
and  fights  !  I  love  the  life  and  noise 
of  Wells  street !  I  should  die  if  I 
were  to  go  off  somewhere  alone, 
and  never  see  anything  out  of  the 


way  !  Why,  I  wouldn't  be  a  decent, 
nice,  quiet,  respectable  girl,  if  you'd 
give  me  all  Chicago  !  If  you  should 
offer  to  marry  me,  and  take-  me  to 
your  home,  on  the  avenue,  among 
all  the  big  folks,  I'd  laugh  at  you  ! 
No,  sir  I'm  not  going  to  be  tied 
down,  like  a  pet  poodle.  I  am 
going  to  make  every  man  and 
woman  in  this  city  know  me,  and 
when  they  speak  of  me  it  will  be  as 
the  wickedest  girl  in  Chicago  !  Do 
you  understand  me  ?" 

"  I  am  afraid  I  understand  you 
too  well." 

"  Then  don't  preach  any  more,  if 
you  please.  You  can  keep  me  as 
long  as  you  wish.  You  can  shake 
me  when  you  want  to.  But  you  can't 
change  me  one  bit.  I'm  the  gayest 
girl  that  ever  wore  a. bustle." 

Convinced  that  he  could  do  noth- 
ing or  say  nothing  that  would 
accomplish  anything,  Charley  Wil- 
liams dropped  the  sub?ect,  and 
nothing  further  of  interest  to  .  the 
reader  occurred  that  evening. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

The  scene  at  the  Police  Court, 
the  morning  succeeding  the  events 
hereinbefore  narrated,  was  one  of 
the  most  impressive  that  ever  tran- 
spired before  that  tribunal  of  jus- 
tice. After  the  common  drunks 
and  disorderlies  had  been  called 
and  disposed  of,  and  the  few  petty 
thieves  and  other  offenders  had  re- 
ceived sentence,  the  clerk  called  : 

"  Nellie  O'Brien  !  " 

There  was  no  answer,  but  from 
the  crowd  of  spectators  there  arose 
a  flashily  attired  maiden,  and,  proud 
of  the  fact  that  all  eyes  were  fixed  • 
admiringly,  upon  her,  Wicked  Nell 
strutted  forward  like  a  young  pea- 
cock, her  head  erect,  and  her  whole 
bearing  indicating  obstinate  and 
unyielding  defiance. 

"  You  are  charged  with  being  an 
inmate  of  a  house  of  ill-fame,"  said 


Mr.  Matson,  the   clerk,   "are  you 
guilty  or  not  guilty." 

"  GUILTY." 

Judge  Banyon  looked  at  the  pris- 
oner with  astonishment,  not  unmix- 
ed with  admiration.  The  Judge 
had  an  eye  for  female  beauty,  and 
be  never  had  seen  so  handsome  a 
prisoner  before. 

The  widow  O'Brien, in  deep  mourn- 
ing, slowly  made  her  way  to  the 
side  of  her  daughter. 

"  This  is  my  child,  Judge,"  she 
said,  feebly. 

Captain  Hickey  related  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  arrest,  and  then 
turned  to  the  girl,  who  had  stood 
like  a  statue,  apparently  entirely 
unconcerned. 

"  Nellie,"  he  said,  "  what  do  you 
propose  to  do  ?  " 

"  I  propose  to  do  as  I  please  !" 
was  the  impudent  reply. 

"  She's  the  wickedest  little  wretch 
I  ever  saw,"  remarked  the  Captain 
to  the  Judge,  "  and  it's  my  opinion 
that  a  long  term  in  the  Bridewell 
will  do  her  more  good  thaa  any- 
thing else.  The  girl  seems  to  be 
totally  dperaved. 

"  This  is  'orrible !  "  exclaimed 
the  Judge,  looking  upon  the  pris- 
oner with  amazement. 

'•  Oh,  no,  LO  !  You  will  not 
send  my  little  girl  to  that  dreadful 
place  !  She  could  riot  live  there,  I 
know  she  couldn't,  and  it  would 
break  my  heart  to  see  her  die  !  " 
The  widow's  voice  trembled,  and 
her  tyes  were  wet  with  tears. 

"  She  had  better  be  in  her  grave," 
said  the  Captain,  "  than  in  such 
hell-holes  as  she  has  been  frequent- 
ing for  a  year  or  more.  But  there 
is  no  danger.  Such  wicked  people 
don't  die  easy.  You  couldn't  kill 
'em.  They  have  as  many  lives  as 
a  cat." 

Wicked  Nell's  face  denoted  scorn 
and  defiance. 

"  Don't  fret,  old  woman,"  she 


said,  "  your  little  girl\%  big  enough 
to  take  care  of  herself,  and  she  wont 
go  to  the  Bridewell !  You  can  bet 
your  sweet  life  on  that !" 

"  Then  you  defy  the  Court,  do 
you  ?  "  said  the  Judge,  bristling 
with  indignation,  and  plainly  show- 
ing the  anger  he  could  not  conceal. 

Nell  made  no  reply,  but  faced  the 
court  with  a  brazen  stare. 

-'•Please  come  home,  Nellie,' 
pleaded  the  old  woman,  attempting 
to  embrace  her  daughter. 

Pushing  her  away  roughly, Wick- 
Nell,  said  scornfully — 

«  Never!" 

The  poor  widow,  overcome  with 
emotion,  staggered  to  a  seat,  and 
moaned : 

"  Oh,  God !  I  even  wish  that  I 
was  dead  " 

"  There's  no  use  in  making  a  holy 
show  of  me  here !"  eaid  Nell,  "  if 
you're  going  to  send  me  up,  do  it 
right  away  !  You  can't  make  me 
promise  anything,  and  if  I  did,  I'd 
break  it  as  soon  as  I  got  on  the 
sidewalk." 
"  Ninety  days,"  was  the  sentence. 

"  It  wont  be  ninety  minutes  be- 
fore I'll  be  free  again  !  "  saucily 
responded  the  prisoner. 

An  officer  took  her  roughly  by  the 
arm,  but  she  shook  him  off  savagely. 

"  Keep  your  dirty  hand  off  from 
me  !"  she  exclaimed  vehemently, 
I  happen  to  know  something  about 
this  business  !  I'll  walk  into  that 
pen  like  a  lady,  but  I'll  soon  walk 
out  again!  You  cant  any  of  you 
get  the  best  of  Wicked  Nell !  " 

CHAPTER  XII. 
The  threat  made  by  Wicked  Nell, 
as  like  a  little  queen  she  strutted 
into  the  "  bull-pen,"  was  not  an  idle 
one.  In  less  than  an  hour  from  the 
time  of  her  trial  and  sentence  she 
was  at  liberty,  through  a  process 
weW  known  to  any  one  who  has  had 
any  experience  in  the  police  courts. 


Her  appeal  bonds  were  signed  by  a 
responsible  party,  and  that,  in  real- 
ity, was  the  end  of  the  case.  A  sil- 
ent friend,  aided  by  his  money,  had 
done  his  work,  and  once  more  the 
wicked  girl  was  free — free  to  do  as 
she  pleased — to  defy  the  law,  to 
heave  a  heavier  load  of  sorrow  upon 
the  shoulders  of  her  poor  old  mother! 

While  she  was  walking  away 
from  the  Armory,  Nell  reviewed  the 
situation  in  her  mind,  and  conclud- 
ed that  for  a  time,  at  least,  she 
would  accept  the  offer  of  Charley 
Williams.  She  knew  that  she  could 
not  live  at  the  Jackson  street  den 
without  being  harassed,  night  and 
day,  by  the  police,  and  annoyed  by 
her  mother.  The  idea  of  being  tak- 
en up  every  few  days,  for  ever  so 
short  a  time,  was  not  very  agree- 
able, and  so,  for  the  purpose  of  sec- 
urity, she  reluctantly  made  up  her 
mind  to  follow  the  wishes  of  her 
friend,  and  endure  quiet,  retired 
life  as  long  as  she  could — but  she 
knew  very  well  it  wouldn't  be  long. 
There  was  a  devil  inside  of  her  that 
no  power  ©n  earth  could  compel  to 
rest  easy  for  any  length  of  time.  To 
be  good  was  to  be  miserable. 

She  knew  where  to  find  her  lover. 
The  decision  she  had  made  was 
quickly  communicated  to  him,  and 
it  is  useless  to  say  that  he  was  pleas- 
ed as  nothing  else  could  have  pleas- 
ed him.  The  man  was  captivated 
by  the  girl's  rare  beauty,  and  the 
thought  that  he  could  have  her  un- 
der his  eye  for  a  large  portion  of 
the  time,  and  feel  assured  that  no 
other  lover  could  claim  her  atten- 
tion when  he  was  away,  filled  him 
with  undefinable  feelings  of  pleas- 
ure. 

The  house  to  which  he  conveyed 
Wicked  Nell,  in  a  hack,  was  located 
on  Harmon  Court,  and  was  consid- 
ered respectable.  It  was  kept  by  a 
widow,  as  she  claimed  herself  to  be, 
and  the  neighbors  were  given  to  un- 


derstand that  the  neat  and  rathet 
tony  little  sign,  "  Furnished  Rooms 
to  Rent,"  was  the  correct  index  to 
her  occupation.  But  those  who  were 
permitted  to  cross  her  threshold 
knew  very  well  what  kind  of  ten- 
ants were  wanted. 

Mrs.  Dodge,  the  keeper  of  this 
house,  would  have  been  grievously 
offended,  had  any  one  dared  accuse 
her  of  keeping  an  assignation  house 
— yet  such  was  in  reality  the  nature 
of  her  establishment.  She  was  an 
aristocratic  "  lady."  No  stranger 
could  obtain  admittance  to  her  house 
unless  upon  the  recommendation  of 
one  of  her  friends  or  patrons ;  but 
her  elegant  parlors,  and  luxurious 
sleeping  apartments  were  kept  for 
no  decent  purpose,  as  many  a  poor 
girl  who  had  been  drugged  and 
ruined  there  could  testify,  to  her 
sorrow.  Mrs.  Dodge  was  a  woman 
without  a  heart — a  soulless  wretch, 
who  looked  upon  gold  with  greedy 
eyes,  and  closed  them  whenever  the 
gain  of  a  few  dollars  would  reward 
a  deed  of  villainy.  All  her  cus- 
tomers were  not  villains,  as  the 
world  would  define  the  term.  Her 
parlors  were  often  the  rendezvous 
of  lovers  who  had  no  right  to  seek 
seclusion,  as  will  be  seen  in  future 
chapters  of  this  romance,  but  who 
went  there  under  the  cover  of  dark- 
ness, sometimes  in  disguise,  for  pur- 
poses that  society  would  frown 
upon,  were  there  no  secrecy  in  their 
movements. 

Wicked  Nell  was  shown  into  the 
parlor,  and  Charley  Williams  beck- 
oned the  keeper  to  another  apart- 
ment. 

"  Mrs.  Dodge,"  he  said,  "I  want 
you  to  keep  tnis  girl  for  me." 

"  Anything  in  my  house  is  at 
your  disposal,  Mr.  Williams." 

"  I  knew  that  before,  but  what  I 
particularly  desire  now,  is  that  you 
will  keep  an  eye  on  her  !" 

"  Do  I  understand  that  she  would 


33 


run  away  if  she  got  a  chance  ?     Is 
she  to  stay  here  against  her  will  ?" 

"  Oh,  no,  Mrs.  Dodge,  I  hope  I 
am  not  as  bad  as  that.  This  is  not 
an  innocent  girl,  as  you  probably 
supposed.  On  the  contrary,  she 
delights  in  being  called  the  wicked- 
est girl  in  Chicago !  It  will  be 
hard  work  for  her  to  keep  as  quiet 
as  lodgers  in  your  house  are  re- 
quired to  keep,  and  you  may  have 
some  trouble  with  her." 

"And  is  she  really  so  abominably 
wicked  ?  " 

"She  is  very  wild,  very  thought- 
less, very  reckless — in  fact,  I  may 
as  well  say,  very  wicked  !" 

A  pleased  expression  rested  for 
an  instant  upon  the  face  of  Mrs. 
Dodge. 

"  Mr.  Williams,"  she  said,  "  I 
think  I  can  manage  this  awful  girl. 
Shall  you  be  here  often  ?" 

"  Three  or  four  times  a  week,  at 
least." 

"All  right.  Leave  everything  to 
me,  and  you  will  see  how  nicely  I 
can  tame  this  wild  flower  of  yours." 

"May  you  have  good  luck  in 
your  efforts,"  was  the  earnest  wish 
of  Charley  Williams,  as  he  left  the 
keeper,  and  sought  the  companion- 
ship of  the  little  beauty  who  had 
taken  such  a  deep  hojd  upon  his 
affections. 

In  another  hour  he  was  gone, 
and  Wicked  Nell  and  Mrs.  Dodge 
were  alone  together  in  the  beauti- 
fully furnished  house. 

Putting  her  arms  around  the 
child,  and  warmly  kissing  her,  Mrs, 
Dodge  said  : 

"I  am  told  your  name  is  Wicked 
Nell  ?" 

"  You  were  told  just  right — that's 
my  name  !" 

"  You  must  be  an  awful  wicked 
girl,  to  want  such  a  name  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  suppose. I  am  !  There 
is  nothing  too  wicked  for  Nell ! " 

"  Nothing  ?  " 


The  woman  looked  at  Wicked  Nell 
searchingly,  as  though  she  woull 
penetrate  her  deepest  thoughts. 

"  I  never  knew  anything  so  bad 
that  I  would  not  do  it,  if  I  felt  like 
it!" 

"  Then  I  know  I  shall  like  you  !" 
Mrs.  Dodge  pressed  the  hand  of 
her  new  lodger,  and  after  a  mom  eat 
left  the  room. 

"  You  look  like  a  snake  !  I  hate 
you!"  muttered  Nell,  after  the 
widow  had  disappeared. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  Nell 
entered  the  house  on  Harmon  Court, 
Mrs.  Dodge  came  into  the  parlor 
with  a  smile  upon  her  face. 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  go  to  the 
matinee,  this  afternoon  ?"  she  said, 
pleasantly. 

"  Oh  that  would  be  bully  !"  ex- 
claimed the  girl,  who  had  never  in 
her  life  attended  a  public  place  of 
amusement.  « 

"  Then  I  will  order  a  carriage, 
and  we  will  take  it  in,"  was  the 
elderly  female's  rejoinder. 
.  On  the  way  to  the  theatre,  a 
restaurant  was  visited,  and  the 
ladies  indulged  in  wine. 

The  afternoon  was  well  worn 
away.  The  play  was  approaching 
its  close.  Wicked  Nell  had  been 
perfectly  enraptured  with  the  per- 
formance, and  had  not  paid  more 
than  casual  attention  to  Mrs.  Dodge. 
Had  she  noticed  that  woman,  she 
would  have  perceived  that  the  move- 
ments of  the  actors  received  little  if 
any  attention  from  her.  Her  mild 
blue  eyes — eyes  that  gave  her  such 
a  gentle  and  motherly  appearance, 
were  fixed  upon  a  fair  young  girl 
in  the  audience,  who  seemed  to  have 
come  alone.'  The  girl  was  young, 
very  fair,  and  any  reader  of 
human  nature  could  readily  per- 
ceive that  she  was  innocent. 

When  the  performance  was  reach- 


34 


ing  its  close,  Mrs.  Dodge  leaned 
over  and  whispered  in  the  ear  of 
Wicked  NeH : 

"  Do  you  see  that  girl  with  the 
black  hair  and  eyes,  a  little  to  the 
right  of  us  ?" 

Nell  looked  and  nodded  her  head. 

"  Do  you  think  you  could  get  ac- 
quainted with  her  if  you  should 
try  ?" 

"  Of  course  I  could !  What  makes 
you  ask  ?" 

"  Will you  do  it  r 

"  If  there  was  any  object  in  doing 
so,  I  would.  But  what's  the  use  ? 
She  ain't  bad — I  can  tell  that,  by 
her  looks — and  what  would  be  the 
use  in  my  getting  acquainted  with 
her,  just  for  half  an  hour  or  so, 
when  we  should  probably  never 
meet  again  ?  There  wouldn't  be 
any  fun  in  it,  nor  any  money, 
either." 

"  How  do  you  know  ?  You  try  it, 
anyway  !  Scrape  acquaintance. 
Tell  her  I'm  your  mother,  and  what 
a  fine  home  we  have,  Ask  her  to 
take  some  ice  cream  with  you.  To 
start,  you  can  step  on  her  dress, 
then  make  an  apology,  and  thus 
commence  an  acquair. «.  nee  that  can 
be  prolonged  or  shortened  as  you 
may  wish." 

"  Well,  I'll  do  it  just  for  fun ! 
And  you  watch  and  see  how  slick  I 
pull  the  wool  over  her  eyes !  Shall 
I  really  invite  her  down  to  the 
house  ?'' 

"  By  all  means." 

"  What  for  ?" 

"  Leave,  that  to  me  /" 

Wicked  Nell  felt  a  cold  chill  pass 
over  her.  She  could  see  the  snake 
plainer  than  ever,  now  ! 

"  Oh,  well,  I  suppose  we  can  have 
a  little  amusement  at  the  expense 
of  the  little  girl,  and  she  know  noth- 
ing about  it." 

Nell  then  did  as  directed  by  her 
instructor,  and  it  was  but  a  minute 
before  she  was  in  animated  conver- 


sation with  her  new  and  strangely 
formed  acquaintance.  Nellie  O'Brien 
was  a  girl  of  unusual  intelligence. 
She  knew  that  she  must  conduct  her 
self  with  exceptional  decorum,  in 
her  intercourse  with  a  decent  young 
lady,  and  acting  upon  this  knowl- 
edge, her  words  were  the  most 
chaste,  her  actions  the  most  mod- 
est and  decorous. 

"  This  is  my  ma,"  she  said  art- 
lessly, as  the  woman  Dodge  in- 
truded herself  upon  them. 

The  sly  old  wretch  assumed  a 
patronizing  air,  and  insisted  that 
the  "  dear  little  friend  of  her  daugh- 
ter "  should  go  with  them  just  for 
the  purpose  of  getting  better  ac- 
quainted, 

Wicked  Nell  felt  inclined  to  back 
out,  even  after  she  had  accom- 
plished all  she  hiiJ  undertaken. 
She  rather  liked  the  innocent  crea- 
ture she  had  been  deceiving,  and 
cordially  hated  the  old  hypocrite 
she  had  palmed  off  as  her  "  ma." 

There  was  another  thing  that 
made  Nell  hestitate.  The  idea 
entered  her  head  that  to 
decoy  that  young  girl  into  an 
assignation  house,  was  no  joke. 
The  old  woman  had  not  said  that 
any  harm  was  meant,  but  she  cer- 
tainly acted  very  strangely,  and 
there  at  leaSt  was  a  possibility  that 
serious  harm  might  be  th«  result. 

"  Oh,  pshaw  !  "  thought  Nell,  "  if 
I  rope  this  girl  in  as  the  old  woman 
wants  me  to,  I  guess  I'm  smart 
enough  to  get  her  out  again,  with- 
out much  trouble  !  I'll  keep  my 
$ye  skinned,  and  if  any  dirt  is  to  be 
played,  let  them  look  out  for  Wick- 
ed Nell!" 

The  carriage  was  entered,  and 
with  lively  conversation  the  mo- 
ments passed  until  the  horses  were 
halted  in  front  of  the  assignation 
house,  on  Harmon  Court. 

The  three  alighted,  and  soon  the 
front  door  closed  upon  three  parties, 


35 


only  one  of  whom  understood  the 
others.  Mrs.  Dodge  was  positive 
she  had  an  expert  and  willing  accom- 
plice in  Wicked  Nell ;  the  strange 
girl  did  not  dream  that  her  friends 
were  not  what  they  seemed ;  but 
Nellie  O'Brien,  young  though  she 
was,  comprehended  everything,  and 
already  her  mind  was  occupied  in 
devising  schemes  by  which  to  coun- 
teract and  foil  the  dark  designs  of 
the  meek-looking  hag  ! 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

"Oh,  dear,  I  feel  thirsty,  and 
really,  -water  tastes  insipid,  such 
sultry  weather.  Children,  how 
would  you  like  a  little  lemonade?  " 

Wicked  Nell  thought  a  sherry 
cobbler  or  a  whisky  punch  would  be 
much  preferable,  but  she  did  not 
unmask  herself  by  so  saying. 

"  I  should  like  nothing  better," 
she  replied,  knowing  that  such  an 
answer  was  expected  of  her,  yet 
feeling  apprehensive  of  treachery. 
She  had  no  reason  to  suspect  any- 
thing wrong,  so  far  as  she  herself 
was  concerned,  but  the  ominous 
words,  "  leave  that  to  me,"  still 
rung  in  her  ears,  and  she  felt  like 
shu'ldering  for  the  consequences. 

The  reader  will  perceive,  when 
the  characters  of  those  two  are  con- 
sidered, that  Nellie  O'Brien  was  not 
the  wickedest  woman  in  Chicago. 
There  was  nothing  malignant  in  her 
disposition,  and  except  for  provo- 
cation she  would  not  do  harm  or 
violence  to  man,  woman  or  child. 
She  was  wilful,  wicked,  reckless, 
depraved,  ueceitful,  and  bad  in 
many  ways,  but  she  had  a  white  soul! 
Get  way  down  to  the  bottom  of  her 
heart,  and  there  was  a  germ  of 
goodness  that  evil  associations  had 
not  entirely  wiped  out.  There  was 
no  real  meanness  about  her,  and 
she  scorned  to  be  a  hypocrite.  It 
was  this  very  open-hearted  frank- 
ness that  caused  her  to  delight  in 


being   recognized    everywhere    as 
wicked  Nell. 

"  We'll  just  put  in  wine  enough 
to  make  the  color  rich,"  continued 
Mrs.  Dodge,  smiling,  and  inwardly 
pleased  that  she  could  so  easily  ac- 
complish what  she  had  undertaken. 

And  what  was  it  that  she  sought 
bo  accomplish  ?  Only  the  ruin  of 
that  confiding,  that  pure,  that  true- 
hearted  that  innocent  girl — that's 
all! 

Only  a  few  days  before,  a  villain, 
as  he  should  be  called,  but  an  ele- 
gant gentleman,  as  he  was  generally 
known,  had  called  upon  Madame 
Dodge,  and  had  made  arrangements 
with  her  to  secure  for  him,  on  the 
first  opportunity,  some  ignorant, 
innocent  .young  girl,  with  sufficient 
beauty  to  attract  the  eye,  and 
whose  personal  charms  should  be 
above  the  average.  Mme.  Dodge, 
as  procuress,  was  known  to  quite 
a  number  of  "highly  respedja-ble  " 
people  in  this  city,  and  whenever 
any  of  her  acquaintances  desired 
work  of  that  kind  done,  she  was 
invariably  called  upon.  For  these 
services  she  was  paid  handsomely, 
the  proceeds  of  one  transaction 
some  times  amounting  to  a  sum  of 
money  that  would  look  big  to  a  poor 
man,  but  which  would  not  be  con- 
sidered exorbitant  to  the  rich  spend- 
thrifts of  Chicago. 

In  this  latest  transaction,  Mad- 
ame Dodge  had  confidently  counted 
upon  the  assistance  of  Nellie 
O'Brien.  When  Charley  Williams 
told  her  of  the  wickedness  of  the 
girl,  she  fairly  gloated  over  the  good 
fortune  that  had  thrown  such  a  tool 
in  her  way,  never  doubting  but  that 
Nell  would  prove  a  perfect  big  bo- 
nanza, arid  little  thinking  that  the 
wild  girl  would  hesitate  to  assist 
in  the  devilish  plot  she  had  already 
concocted  in  her  mind. 

Wicked  Nell  rather  liked  this 
new  adventure  that  had  been  un- 


expectedly  thrown  in  her  way. 
There  was  excitement  in  it,  and 
that  was  the  food  upon  which  she 
lived.  It  was  more  welcome  to  her 
appetite  than  any  delicacies  that 
could  be  obtained  in  any  of  the 
markets  that  abound  in  the  city. 

When  Mrs.  Dodge  made  the  allu- 
sion to  a  "a  little  wine,"  Nell's 
quick  wit  told  her,  as  plainly  as 
words  could  tell,  that  there  would 
he  something  more  subtle  than  wine 
in  at  least  one  of  the  beverages  that 
would  be  offered. 

"  She  counts  upon  me  as  an  ac- 
complice" thought  our  little  heroine, 
"  but  she  is  making  a  big  sucker  of 
herself  !  No  !  I'll  do  anything  that 
is  bad !  There's  nothing  that  is 
wicked  but  that  I  will  do  myself! 
But  when  any  one  asks  me  to  be  a 
sneak,  and  to  lie,  and  to  betray 
anybody  who  trusts  me,  they'll  find 
that  Wicked  Nell  is  not  that  kind 
of  a  hair  pin  !  I  like  that  little  girl, 
though  she  is  good  !  I  don't  believe 
there's  anything  mean  about  her; 
and  may  I  be  shot  as  full  of  holes 
as  the  cover  of  a  pepper  box  if  this 
old  hell-cat  gets  the  best  of  her!" 

Going  up  to  the  girl,  Nell  stooped 
down  and  kissed  her. 

"  I  /0wyou,"  she  exclaimed,  with 
more  feeling  than  she  had  ever 
before  shown  in  her  life  !" 

The  young  lady  looked  up  in  some 
bewilderment,  but  she  looked  into 
honest  eyes,  and  for  a  moment  the 
two  children — for  they  were  only 
children  in  years — were  locked  in  an 
affectionate  embrace. 

Nell  had  intended  to  put  the  girl 
on  her  guard,  but  Mrs.  Dodge  came 
into  the  room  before  she  had  a 
chance  to  speak. 

The  procuress  looked  on  and 
smiled ! 

"  I  never  saw  such  a  wicked  girl," 
she  thought,  but  no  word  of  that 
kind  escaped  her  lips. 

"  Here,  children,"  she  said,  "  here 


is  something  that  will  make  us  all 
feel  well !" 

"  Thank  you,  ma  ! "  said  Nell,  to 
the  keeper  of  the  house. 

To  her  little  friend  she  whispered, 
as  she  pressed  her  arm  : 

»«  Don't  Drink  /" 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Madame  Dodge  did  not  suspect 
Wicked  Nell  of  treachery.  The  old 
procuress  was  a  shrewd,  wary  and 
suspicious  creature  under  ordinary 
circumstances ;  bnt  Nell  had  come 
to  her  house  with  the  reputation  of 
being  the  very  incarnation  of  wick- 
edness, and  the  thought  that  any- 
thing good  could  come  out  of  such 
a  little  wretch,  never  once  entered 
Madame  Dodge's  head. 

When  Nell  whispered  "  don't 
drink,"  into  the  ears  of  the  strange 
girl,  neither  her  words  nor  the 
warning  glance  that  accompanied 
them,  were  noticed  by  the  procur- 
ess. The  girl  turned  deathly  pale, 
and  her  hand  trembled  so  violently 
that  a  portion  of  the  contents  of 
the  tumbler  fell  upon  the  carpet ; 
and  yet  the  old  woman,  in  her  glee 
at  the  easy  victory  that  had  been 
as  good  as  already  achieved,  did 
not  notice  the  girl's  alarm, 

Wicked  Nell  did  not  intend  that 
Madame  Dodge  should  discover  the 
deceit  she  had  been  practicing,  and 
yet  she  was  determined  that  the 
hag  should  not  harm  a  hair  of  that 
fair  child's  head.  This  girl  loved 
to  be  wicked,  but  her's  was  a  cus 
sedness  that  had  in  ifc  no  element 
of  fiendishness.  She  was  as  te*n- 
der-hearted  as  a  child,  at  times,  and 
her  sympathies  when  once  aroused, 
were  so  powerful  that  no  consider- 
ation could  induce  her  to  abandon 
the  object  that  had  excited  them. 
When  she  saw  that  the  girl  would 
betray  the  knowledge  that  foul 
play  was  being  resorted  to,  Nell 
quietly  seized  her  arm,  and  pulled 


37 


her  closer,  saying  as  she  did  so,  in 
an  undertone  : 

"  You're  safe  I" 

Then,   speaking  aloud,  she  said  : 

"  Ma,  this  is  the  nicest  lemonade 
I  ever  drank.  Don't  you  think  it 
good  ?" 

This  latter  was  addressed  to  the 
girl ;  but  before  the  frightened 
creature  had  time  to  reply,  Nell 
dexterously  changed  glasses  with 
her! 

The  strange  girl  comprehended 
everything,  and  drank,  greatly  to 
the  inward  delight  of  Madame 
Dodge,  whose  eyes  shone  with  un- 
usual brilliancy  as  she  saw  her  in- 
tended victim,  sipping  the  drugged 
liquid  until  it  had  all  disappeared. 

While  the  old  woman  was  watch- 
ing as  a  cat  would  watch  a  mouse, 
the  unsuspecting  little  one,  Wicked 
Nell  was  not  idle. 

"It  will  never  do  for  me  to  drink 
this,"  she  thought,  and  without  at- 
tracting attention,  she  passed  into 
the  other  room,  quickly  threw  the 
"nice"  lemonade  out  of  the  window, 
and  returned  apparently  uncon- 
cerned, to  the  parlor,  where  the 
two  were  seated. 

"  Why,  what  makes  you  look  so 
pale  ?"  exclaimed  Madame  Dodge, 
advancing  to  the  girl  she  had  with 
Nell's  assistance  enticed  from  the 
theatre,  "  are  you  ill  ?  Has  any- 
thing happened  to  you !" 

The  girl  was  pale,  but  not  from 
the  cause  tha,t  the  infamous  wom- 
an supposed.  She  was  frightened, 
not  poisoned. 

"  I  think  I  will  go  now,"  said  the 
strange  visitor,  rising. 

But  Madame  Dodge  sprang  for- 
ward, exclaiming  : 

"  Not  for  the  world  would  I  have 
any  one  leave  my  house  when  ill ! 
Why,  child,  you  look  like  a  corpse  ! 
You  might  fall  down  and  die  before 
you  had  gone  a  block !  No,  no ! 
You  cannot,  you  shall  not  go  !  You 


must  lie  down,  and  1  will  prepare 
you  restoratives  that  will  bring  you 
around  all  right." 

"No  you  wont,  you  old  rip!1" 

Wicked  Nell  did  not  say  this, 
but  she  could  hardly  keep  her 
tongue  between  her  teeth,  so  vio- 
lent were  her  emotions,  so  strongly 
was  she  tempted  to  expose  the 
dark  designs  of  the  procuress. 

"I  am  not  sick,  even  if  I  am 
pale,  said  the  dark-eyed  but  timid 
girl,  "  and  I  shall  insist  on  going 
home,  right  away  !  You  have  no 
right  to  detain  me,  and  I  shall  not 
stay  longer !" 

Mrs.  Dodge  stood  in  the  door, 
looking  determined  and  threaten- 
ing. 

"  Oh,  let  the  girl  go,"  said  Nell, 
:'  I'll  go  with  her  a  short  distance, 
and  see  that  no  harm  reaches  her. 
She  don't  look  very  pale  to  me,  and 
I  don't  believe  she's  any  more  sick 
than  you  are !" 

"  Nellie,  leave  this  room  instant- 
ly !"  commanded  Madame  Dodge, 
in  tones  of  anger. 

"Old  woman,  go  to  the  devil!" 
replied  Nell,  defiantly,  springing  to 
her  feet. 

The  Madame  was  amazed  !  She 
knew  it  was  time  for  the  drug  to 
take  effect,  and  every  moment  ex- 
pected that  her  victim  would  be- 
come insensible.  She  had  also  in- 
tended to  explain  everything  to 
Wicked  Nell,  when  the  bird  had 
been  securely  caged.  It  only  took 
her  a  second  to  discover  that  she 
had  made  a  mistake,  and  that  she 
must  "  haul  in  her  horns." 

"  Why,  child,"  she  said  persua- 
sively, '  I  was  merely  joking  with 

you!" 

"  Oh,  yes.  You're  a  sweet  old 
pill  to  joke  with,  ain't  you  !  But 
you  can't  come  any  of  your  funny 
games  on  Wicked  Nell  !  Old  wom- 
an, I'm  on  to  you  !  I've  tumbled 
to  your  racket,  and  if  you  don't 


cheese  that  sort  of  lay-out  I'll 
squeal  louder  than  a  stuck  pig  or 
pinched  kitten  !  Do  you  hear  me 
talk,  you  old  slut?" 

"  Slut!"  shrieked  the  old  woman, 
beside  herself  with  rage,  I'll  teach 
you,  you  little  hussy,  to  call  me 
such  names  in  my  own  house  !" 

Rushing  towards  Nell,  the  Mad- 
ame seized  her  with  one  hand,  and 
the  other  was  raised  to  strike  ! 

But  she  didn't  succeed.  Bang  ! 
Biff !  The  clenched  fist  of  Nell  got 
in  its  work  lively,  and  a  stream  of 
blood  spurted  from  the  nose  of  the 
old  hag,  who  reeled  and  fell. 

Nell  did  not  propose  to  let  the 
matinee  stop  that  way.  Her  blood 
was  up,  and  she  was  on  fire  with 
excitement.  Springing  upon  the 
procuress,  she  planted  her  heel 
squarely  in  her  cheek,  making  her 
false  teeth  rattle,  and  causing  the 
old  dame  to  howl  with  pain. 

"  Stop  !  for  God's  sake,  stop ! 
You  are  killing  me  !"  she  pleaded. 

"  Yes,  you  old  hag,  and  you 
ought  to  be  killed  !  What  was  you 
going  to  do  with  this  girl  ?  What 
did  you  dose  her  with  a  drug  for  ? 
What  did  you  coax  me  to  rope  he) 
into  your  shebang  for  ?  You 
thought  Wicked  Nell  would  help 
you,  did  you  ?  Now,  let  me  tell 
you,  while  you  are  lying  there 
on  the  broad  of  your  back,  that  I'm 
not  on  that  racket !  That  ain't  my 
style !  And  I'll  tell  you,  too,  that 
I  hate  you  !  I  hate  every  bone  in 
your  rotten  old  carcass  !  You  are 
an  old  rip !  an  old  sneak  !  an  old 
devil !  an  old  snake  !  an  old  slut  ! 
d — n  your  old  soul,  there's  one 
more  for  luck !" 

As  she  shrieked  these  words, 
Nell  gave  the  fallen  woman  a  final 
kick,  and  then  continued: 

"  Now,  lay  there,  as  quiet  as  a 
kitten,  until  this  girl  gets  ready  to 
go  !  Your  drug  don't  work  !  Per- 


haps it  will  kill  the  grass  where  I 
threw  it,  though !" 

Madame  Dodge  obeyed  the  com- 
mands of  the  ungovernable  Nell, 
and  the  two  girls  almost  instantly 
departed. 

At  the  corner  of  State  street, 
Nell  bid  her  companion  good  bye. 

"Where  are  you  going  ?"  inquir- 
ed the  stranger. 

"  I  am  going  back  to  the  house," 
replied  Nell. 

"  Oh,  no  !  You  surely  will  not 
go  back  to  that  wicked  woman." 

"  Yes,  I'll  go  back  !  And  if  the 
old  cat  gives  me  any  more  of  her 
lip,  I'll  put  another  head  on  her,  be- 
fore I  get  through  with  her  !" 

Tne  girl  who  listened  did  so  with 
wonder  in  her  eyes. 

"  Who  are  you  ?"  she  said,  as  she 
involuntarily  clasped  the  hand  of 
the  one  who  had  befriended  her. 

"  Who  am  I  ?  I  am  not  a  proper 
associate  for  you !  I'm  Wicked 
Nell,  the  gayest  girl  in  Chicago!" 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Bidding  the  young  girl  whom  she 
had  rescued  from  outrage  a  tender 
farewell,  Wicked  Nell  slowly  retrac- 
ed her  steps,  her  mind  filled  with 
strange  and  conflicting  thoughts. 
Had  any  one  met  her  then,  and 
praised  her  as  a  good  girl,  she  would 
have  rebelled  with  fiery  enthusiasm 
and  hot  indignation  ;  yet  there  was 
a  light  feeling  at  her  wayward 
heart,  and  an  angeb  whispered  in 
her  ears  words  like  these  : 

"Nellie  O'Brien,  you  can  be  a 
girl  of  the  town  ;  you  can  drink, 
you  can  carouse ;  you  can  smoke, 
you  can  swear  ;  you  can  be  wild, 
untamable,  unmanagable ;  you  can 
play  all  sorts  of  devilish  pranks  in 
Chicago  ;  bad  girl  that  you  are,  you 
can  be  honorable,  jou  can  be  truth- 
ful, you  can  be  open  in  your  shame, 
and  you  will  find  lovers,  admirers, 
friends  ;  but  the  curse  of  mankind 


•will  fall  upon  you  with  the  weight 
of  a  mountain  when  you  sneak  into 
the  confidence  of  an  innocent  girl, 
with  false  friendship  and  mock 
smiles  win  her  affections,  entice  her 
into  a  trap,  and  then  betray  her  ! " 

"  I  left  the  old  gal  in  a  devil  of  a 
fix,"  she  said,  half  audibly,  and  a 
wicked,  exultant  smile  stole  over 
her  face;  "but  she  had  no  right  to 
put  on  such  airs,  and  order  me 
away  as  though  I  was  a  dog  !  Oh, 
how  I  do  hate  her !  And  what 
makes  me  hate  her  I  wonder? 
Perhaps  it's  because  she's  wickeder 
than  I  am  !  Wonder  what  she'll  say 
to  me  ?  I  can  lick  the  stuffin'  out 
of  her,  anyhow,  and  I  guess  she 
knows  it,  and  so  there  won't  be 
much  danger  of  her  making  a  kick 
right  away.  I  know  what  I'll  do  ! 
I'll  lie  to  the  old  b— h  !  I'll  tell 
her  I'm  awful  sorry,  that  I  was  ex- 
cited and  crazy,  and  that  if  she'll 
only  forgive  me  I'll  find  another 
girl  for  her  in  less  than  two  days!" 

Her  pace  increased  when  this 
resolution  was  formed,  and  just 
before  she  reached  the  house  of 
Madame  Dodge  there  was  a  world 
of  meaning  in  her  voice  and  her 
face  as  she  said  to  herself  : 

"  Old  woman,  look  out  for  Wicked 
Nell  !  She's  going  to  put  up  a  job 
on  you  !" 

Nell  was  a  neat  little  actress.  She 
went  around  to  the  back  door  and 
looked  the  very  picture  of  penitence 
as  she  entered. 

Madame  Dodge  was  sitting  upon 
a  chair  in  the  kitchen,  and  a  ser- 
vant was  engaged  in  dressing  her 
wounds.  The  old  woman  drew  back 
involuntarily  when  she  saw  Nell, 
and  turned  a  trifle  paler.  Evidently, 
she  was  afraid  of  the  wicked  and 
vicious  boarder. 

"  Oh,  Madame,"  said  Nell,  hum- 
bly, and  with  an  attempt  to  shed 
tears  that  was  entirely  unsuccessful, 


"I'm  so  sorry  for  what  has  hap- 
pened!" 

The  procuress  looked  at  her  with 
astonishment.  She  had  not  expected 
to  see  such,  a  remarkable  change  in 
so  short  a  time,  and  she  hardly  knew 
what  to  say.  Nell's  quick  wits  were 
at  work,  she  read  the  thoughts  of 
the  old  woman,  andbeforethe  latter 
had  opened  her  mouth,  the  girl 
continued  : 

"  You  don't  know  what  an  awful 
temper  I've  got !  When  I'm  mad, 
I'm  crazy,  and  don't  know  what 
I'm  doing  !  If  you'd  only  told  me 
what  you  wanted,  there  wouldn't 
have  been  a  bit  of  trouble !  It 
made  me  jealous  to  think  you'd  try 
to  fool  me,  the  wickedest  girl  in  Chi- 
cago, and  I  just  changed  glasses  fur 
fun,  to  let  you  know  how  smart  I 
was,  intending  to  make  it  all  right 
afterward  !  When  you  ordered  me 
out  of  the  room,  it  made  me  mad, 
and  I  done  what  I  could  kill  myself 
for  now  !  Please  Madame,  won't 
you  forgive  me  ?" 

Nell  was  upon  her  knees,  press- 
ing the  old  woman's  hand  to  her 
lips,  and  pretending  as  haixl  as  she 
could  to  cry. 

The  procuress  was  again  deceived! 
That  little  girl,  who  was  just  learn- 
ing her  first  lessons  in  the  art  of 
saying  one  thing  and  meaning 
another,  for  the  second  time  com- 
pletely pulled  the  wool  over  the 
eyes  of  an  experienced  old  hag, 
whose  education  in  that  line  cov- 
ered many  long  years. 

"  Don't  cry,  child,"  said  the  Mad- 
ame, soothingly,  "  We  shall  under- 
stand ourselves  better  hereafter, 
and,  I  hope,  be  the  best  of  friends  ! 
Get  up,  now,  let  us  *  kiss  and  make 
up,'  as  the  girls  used  to  say  when  I 
was  young." 

Nell  would  much  rather  have 
kissed  an  old  cow,  but  she  was 
acting  a  part,'  and  the  way  she 
hugged  and  slobbered  over  that 


procuress  would  have  deceived  the 
"best  judge  of  human  nature  in  the 
world. 

"I  have  injured  you,"  she  said, 
"but  I  will  make  it  all  up  to  you, 
and  more  too  !  I'll  find  another 
girl  for  you,  if  you  want  one,  just 
as  pretty  as  the  other,  if  there's  one 
in  the  town  ?  I'll  rope  her  in  so 
neat  that  she  won't  be  a  bit  sus- 
picious, and  then  you  can  do  with 
her  just  what  you've  a  mind  to." 

"  You  are  a  dear  little  darling  !" 
exclaimed  the  procuress  joyfully. 

The  old  woman's  face  was  some- 
what disfigured,  and  the  sting  of 
the  bruises  could  still  be  felt,  but 
the  prospect  held  out  by  Wicked 
Nell  was  a  balm  that  healed  her 
wounds  as  by  magic,  and  she  pulled 
Nell  down  on  her  lap  and  kissed 
her  a  dozen  times  ! 

"  When  do  you  think  you  can 
find  a  nice  little  beauty  for  me  ?" 
she  said. 

"  I'll  go  out  to-morrow  and  hunt, 
and  if  I  don't  find  one  I'll  keep  on 
every  day  until  I  do  !  I'll  go  to  the 
parks,  I'll  watch  the  schools  when 
they  let  out,  and  when  I  get  my 
eye  upon  the  gal  that  suits  me, 
shes  a  goner  /" 

"  Brave  girl,  you're  a  regular  lit- 
tle heroine  !  God  bless  you  !" 

The  idea  of  that  old  rip  using 
Gods  name ! 

"You  won't  tell  my  lover  any- 
thing that  has  happened  to-day, 
will  you,  Madame  ?"  said  Wicked 
Nell,  coaxingly.  She  said  this  for 
a  blind,  for  she  didn't  care  "a  cuss" 
whether  the  old  woman  told  or  not. 
In  fact,  she  had  made  up  her  mind 
to  tell  Charlie  Williams  all  about  it 
herself. 

"  Tell  ?  Why,  not  for  the  world  ! 
I'll  make  him  believe  you're  a  per- 
fect little  angel — as  you  are  !" 

Nothing  further  of  interest  oc- 
curred that  night.  Nell's  lover 
spent  the  evening  with  her,  and 


heard  the  story  of  the  day's  adven- 
tures from  the  lips  of  the  chief  ac- 
tress. He  commended  her  actions 
in  the  highest  terms,  and  secretly 
rejoiced  that  the  beautiful  girl  in 
whom  he  had  taken  such  deep  in- 
terest, was  not,  after  all,  as 
bad  as  he  had  supposed.  Charley 
Williams  was  a  roue,  a  rake  and  a 
spendthrift,  but  he  was  not  a  vil- 
lian,  and  the  fact  that  he  had,  in  a 
round-about  way,  been  instrumental 
in  thwarting  the  dark  designs  of  a 
wretch  like  Madame  Dodge,  pleas- 
ed him  as  nothing  else  could.  Nell, 
however,  did  not  confide  to  him  her 
plans  for  the  future,  and  he  was 
kept  in  ignorance  of  the  scheme 
that  had  been  concocted  in  the 
brain  of  the  little  plotter  who  sat 
so  lovingly  upon  his  knee. 

After  breakfast  the  next  morning, 
Wicked  Nell  fitted  herself  up  as 
modestly  as  she  could,  and  made 
her  appearance  before  the  Madame. 

"What  do  you  think  of  me?"  she 
said,  "  don't  I  look  innocent  f 

"  You  look  as  pure  and  sweet  as 
any  girl  I  ever  saw,"  was  the  reply, 
"  but  where  are  we  going,  dear  ?" 

"Oh,  I'm  going  out  on  business!" 

"  Then  you  have  not  forgotten 
what  you  promised  yesterday  ?" 

"  Wicked  Nell  never  forgets  !  " 

Had  Madame  Dodge  been  a  mind 
reader,  she  would  have  recoiled 
from  that  sweet,  innocent  and  pure 
looking  girl !  As  it  was  she  gazed 
upon  her  with  trusting  admiration. 

"  Won't  you  tell  me  your  plans, 
darling  ?"  she  said. 

"  I  have  no  plans.  I  am  merely 
going  out  on  a  hunt,  and  whenever 
1  find  what  I  want,  if  I  can't  rope 
her  in,  then  you  may  call  me  a 
sucker  !" 

"  I  certainly  hope  you  will  suc- 
ceed, and  I  shall  stay  in  the  house 
every  minute,  so  as  to  be  sure  and 
meet  you,  when  you  get  back." 

"And  remember,  Madame,"  said 


43 


Nell,  "  that  you  are  my  dear  ma." 

"  Oh,  I'll  remember !  The  old 
woman  always  has  her  wits  about 
her." 

"  Good    bye,   ma,"    said    Nell, 
laughing. 

"  Good  bye,  and  good  luck,  dar- 
ling," was  the  reply. 

And  Wicked  Nell  walked  away 
as  happy  as  though  no  cloud  had 
ever  darkened  her  path. 

"  Yes  !  You're  a  fine  ma  to  have! 
I'd  sooner  be  the  pup  of  a  brindle 
cur,  than  have  you  for  a  mother  ! 
But  look  out,  old  gal,  look  out  ! 
Wicked  Nell  is  the  spider  that  is 
weaving  the  web,  and  you  are  the  fly 
that  is  to  be  caught  in  it !" 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
It  was  about  10  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  Wicked  Nell  left  the 
house  of  the  procuress,  and  soon 
thereafter  the  Madame  repaired  to 
her  darkened  parlor,  and  indulged 
in  a  reverie.  As  the  reader  well 
knows,  she  was  a  woman  entirely 
devoid  of  principle,  or  of  the  com- 
mon humanity  that  even  the  most 
depraved  outcasts  take  pleasure  in 
exhibiting.  For  years  and  years 
she  had  made  it  her  business  to  in- 
sinuate herself  into  the  confidence 
of  young  and  pure-minded  girls,  and 
then,  either  by  subtle  persuasion  or 
more  forcible  means,  rob  them  of 
their  virtue,  through  the  depraved 
men  with  whom  she  had  dealings 
None  but  the  innocent  had  any  at- 
tractions for  her.  It  was  her  trade 
to  destroy  virtue,  and  to  accomplish 
this  the  old  hag  would  take  almost 
any  risk.  The  reward  for  this  work 
was  munificent — all  the  way  from 
one  hundred  to  five  hundred  dollars. 
Rich  men  were  her  only  customers, 
for  they  only  could  meet  the  exor- 
bitant demands  she  made  upon  those 
she  had  dealiags  with.  If  the  names 
of  all  who  sought  her  aid  could  be 
ascertained,  the  exhibit  would  fiU 


the  city  with  consternation  and  hor- 
ror. It  is  said  to  be  a  fact  that,  not 
many  years  ago,  a  man  of  high 
standing  paid  a  notorious  procuress 
(a  Mrs.  Middleton,  who  lived  on 
Madison  street,  west  of  Union  Park) 
the  sum  of  three  hundred  dollars 
for  securing  a  victim  for  him,  and 
that,  when  he  was  shown  into  the 
room  where  she  lay  partially  insen- 
sible upon  a  bed,  the  horrible  dis- 
covery was  made  that  the  girl  was 
his  own  daughter  I  Instances  of  this 
kind  are,  of  course,  very  rare ;  but 
in  every  case  the  poor  betrayed 
child  is  somebody's  daughter,  and  it 
is  to  be  regretted  that  every  infamy 
of  this  kind  cannot  be  followed  by 
quick  and  bloody  retribution  at  the 
hands  of  an  outraged  father. 

Madame  Dodge  sat  in  her  easy 
chair,  and  reviewed  with  calm  satis- 
faction the  many  events  in  her  life 
that  had  proved  successful  and  re- 
munerative. There  was  a  quiet 
smile  upon  her  matronly  face,  and 
could  any  one  have  stolen  in  upon 
her  privacy,  they  would  have  wag- 
ered dollars  to  nickels  that  she  was 
a  kind-hearted,  benevolent,  pious 
old  lady,  whose  lines  had  been  cast 
in  pleasant  places,  and  upon  whose 
forehead  no  trouble  had  ever  plow- 
ed a  furrow  or  planted  a  wrinkle. 
Instead  of  being  the  incarnation  of 
fiendishness,  they  would  have  taken 
her  to  be  the  very  personification  of 
goodness  !  She  thanked  the  lucky 
star  that  had  guided  Wicked  Nell 
to  her  house,  for  she  believed  the 
girl  to  be  totally  lacking  in  every 
moral  sentiment,  and  that  she  would 
be  a  ready  and  willing  tool  to  for- 
ward any  seheme  that  the  villainy  of 
man  might  suggest.  How  correct- 
ly she  judged  the  girl,  the  reader 
can  guess. 

Hour  followed  hour,  and  still  the 
old  woman  remained  at  her  post, 
ready  to  act  her  part  whenever  the 
time  should  arrive,  if  at  all. 


44 


The  sound  of  approaching  foot- 
steps, inside  her  yard,  aroused  Ma- 
dame Dodge,  and,  peering  through 
the  blinds,  she  saw  the  man  for  whom 
she  had  been  working  for  three 
days,  thus  far  unsuccessfully.  The 
greeting  was  cordial  on  her  part — so 
much  so  that  it  led  the  man  to  believe 
that  his  hopes  had  not  been  vain  ones. 

"  Any  luck,  Mrs.  Dodge  ?  "  he 
inquired,  cheerfully. 

"  Certainly  !  I  hope  you  did 
not  think  I  would  fail,  did  you,  Mr. 
Brown  ?  " 

"  Then  you  have  really  secured 
the  prize  ? "  The  man  was  so  eager 
and  excited  that  he  sprang  from  the 
lounge,  and  advanced  with  out- 
stretched arms. 

Mrs.  Dodge  waved  him  back  with 
her  hand. 

"  Don't  be  too  impetuous  !  "  she 
said.  When  a  person  angles  for  a 
fish,  and  sees  a  speckled  beauty  nib- 
bling at  the  bait,  it  is  not  good  pol- 
icy to  pull  madly  at  the  line,  just 
as  though  the  hook  were  securely 
in  the  gills  of  the  finny  flirt !  " 

"  Don't  talk  to  me  in  riddles,  if 
you  please,  but  tell  me  plainly 
what  you  have  done  !  " 

"  I  have  done  everything  that  I 
could  do.  I  have  sent  out  a  decoy 
duck,  and  it  may  not  be  tea  minutes 
before  the  wild  bird  is  safe  in  the 
net." 

"  And  who  is  this  decoy  duck 
that  you  speak  of  ?  " 

"  She's  an  innocent-looking  little 
girl,  who  is  making  my  house  her 
home  for  a  few  days." 

There  was  some  further  conver- 
sation concerning  Wicked  Nell,  and 
then  Mr.  Brown  and  Madame  Dodge 
indulged  in  wine — drank  to  the  suc- 
cess of  their  undertaking,  and  its 
speedy  accomplishment. 

An  hour  or  so  they  spent  in  soc- 
ial convereation,  and  Mr.  Brown 
was  about  taking  his  departure, 
with  the  understanding  that  he  was 


to  call  again  the  next  day,  or  was 
to  be  notified  in  case  he  was  want- 
ed sooner.  He  bid  the  Madame 
good  afternoon,  and  hat  in  hand  was 
approaching  tbe/ront  door,  when  it 
was  thrown  open,  and  there  stood 
before  him  the  most  beautiful  crea- 
ture he  had  ever  laid  his  eyes  on ! 

"I  beg  your  pardon,"  said  Wicked 
Nell ;  "  if  I  had  known  a  gentleman 
was  in  the  house,  I  should  not  have 
rushed  in  in  such  a  rude  manner." 

Mr.  Browu  was  enchanted  !  He 
was  a  passionate  admirer  of  female 
charms,  and  in  little  Nell  he  discov- 
ered at  a  single  glance  youth,  viva- 
city, freshness,  voluptuousness,  and 
such  rare  beauty  as  he  had  seldom 
seen  in  woman.  It  was  a  clear  case 
of  love  at  first  sight ! 

"  It  is  /who  should  beg  your  par- 
don,' he  said,  gallantly,  "  for  having 
likea  great  boor  plan  ted  myselfright 
here  in  your  path.  But  don't  be 
frightened,  my  dear  young  woman — 
I  am  not  near  so  ugly  as  I  look  !" 

"  The  old  cove  is  dead  gone  on 
me,"  thought  Nell,  as  Madame 
Dodge  stepped  forward. 

"  Ah,  Nellie,  darling,"  said  the  old 
woman,  *•  I  see  you  have  returned. 
This  is  Mr.  Brown,  a  particular- 
friend  of  mine.  And  this,"  address- 
ing herself  to  the  gentleman,  "  is 
Nellie  Williams,  who  is  making  my 
house  her  home  for  a  few  weeks." 

Mr.  Brown  shook  hands  with 
Wicked  Nell,  and  took  occasion  to 
press  the  little  gloved  fingers  in  a 
manner  that  some  maidens  would 
call  suggestive. 

The  three  then  entered  the  parlor. 

"  There  need  be  no  hesitation  and 
secrecy  between  us,"  said  the  Ma- 
dame ;  "  this,  Nellie,  is  the  gentle- 
man I  spoke  to  you  about,  and  we 
are  both  anxious  to  learn  the  result 
of  your  efforts  to-day." 

"  Just  sit  down,  then,  and  I'll  tell 
you  everything  !" 

"  Go  on,  go  on  !  But  tell  us  first, 


45 


were  you  successful  ?"  Mrs.  Dodge 
was  apparently  more  anxious  than 
her  employer,  whose  ardor  in  the 
enterprise  had  perceptibly  cooled 
since  he  saw  Wicked  Nell. 

"  Didn't   I  tell  you  I  would  be  ? 
Of  course  I  was  !" 

Nell  then  proceeded  to  relate  her 
adventures.     She  said : 

"  When  I  went  out,  I  took  a 
stroll  along  the  lake  front,  as  far 
as  Madison  street,  but  couldn't  see 
anybody  that  suited  me,  and  I 
knew  very  well  that  they  wouldn't 
strike  a  mans  eye.  So  I  took  the 
Madison  street  cars,  and  rode  over 
to  the  West  Side,  intending  to  go 
to  Union  Park.  But  when  I  got 
as  far  as  the  Scammon  School  the 
scholars  were  at  recess,  and  big 
and  little  girls  were  romping  in  the 
big  yard,  while  across  over  at  Mon 
roe  street  the  High  School  girls 
were  promenading  up  and  down, 
some  locked  arms  and  some  all 
alone.  Over  there  1  went,  and  I 
spotted  the  very  girl  we've  been 
looking  for.  Oh,  you  ought  to  see 
her  eyes !  And  her  shape  !  And 
her  skin  !  She  blushes  like  a  rose, 
and  is  shy  as  a  kitten.  Thinks  I 
to  myself,  you're  my  meat,  my  fine 
little  lady  !  I  didn't  rash  up  and 
speak  to  her  right  then  and  there, 
like  a  fool,  but  waited  until  two 
o'clock,  when  school  was  out,  and 
laid  for  her.  She  took  a  car  for 
the  South  Side,  and  so  did  I.  Then 
she  took  a  Cottage  Grove  car,  and  I 
tumbled  in  after  her,  and  as  luck 
would  have  it  we  were  all  alone.  It 
didn't  take  me  long  to  get  acquaint- 
ed then,  you  can  bet.  I  told  her  I 
lived  up  in  Minnesota,  and  was 
spending  a  few  days  with  my  aunt, 
in  the  city  ;  that  I  was  awful  lone- 
some, and  was  so  anxious  to  get 
acquainted  with  somebody  who 
would  show  me  about  the  city,  and 
tell  me  all  about  the  wonderful 
things  to  be  seen.  I  was  just  going 


down  to  see  the  Douglas  Monument, 
I  said,  and  the  little  fool  swallowed 
every  blessed  word,  and  got  off  with 
me,  and  we  walked  around  on  the 
lake  shore  for  more  than  hour,  she 
all  the  time  telling  me  all  about 
the  crib,  and  the  parks,  and  the 
churches,  and  everything  she  could 
think  of.  Then  I  got  in  my  work 
beautifully.  I  pretended  to  be  dead 
in  love  with  her,  and  asked  if  I 
couldn't  see  her  again  to  morrow. 
Of  course  I  could,  she  said,  and  the 
gal  has  promised  to  go  to  Union 
Park  with  me  after  school,  and  take 
tea  with  my  aunt  on  her  way  home! 
Now,  what  do  you  think  of  that  ?" 

"  Excellent !"  said  Mrs.  Dodge. 

"  Splendid  !"   said  Mr.  Brown. 

"  To  hell  with  you!"  thought 
Wicked  Nell,  but  she  smiled  her 
sweetest  on  them  both,  and  neither 
them  dreamed  of  treachery  ! 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

On  the  forenoon  of  the  next  day, 
Madame  Dodge  and  Wicked  Nell 
had  a  consultation. 

"  Do  you  think  you  will  be  suc- 
cessful, Nellie  ?"  inquired  the  pro- 
curess. 

"  Think,  I  know  I  will  be  !  The 
arrangements  are  all  made,  and  I 
don't  see  what  is  to  prevent  us  from 
caging  the  bird  this  afternoon." 

"  You  seem  so  confident  that  it 
would  really  be  cruel  to  disappoint 
you,"  responded  the  Madame,  with 
a  smile. 

"I  shall  not  be  disappointed,'' 
replied  Nell,  derisively. 

*'  Now,"  said  the  Madame,  "  it 
is  better  that  we  should  under- 
stand each  other  at  the  stort.  As 
you  have  said,  1  am  to  be  your 
aunt.  What  time  do  you  think  you 
will  get  here  ?" 

"  Probably  about  5  o'clock.  You 
know  I  am  to  meet  her  at  the  High 
School  when  it  is  out,  at  two,  and 
then  we  go  out  to  Union  Park,  and 


46 


we  can't  very  well  get  here  before 
five." 

"That  will  be  plenty  early  enough. 
I  shall  be  in  the  front  parlor,  and 
Mr.  Brown  will  be  here,  too ;  but 
he  will  be  in  the  bed  room,  where 
he  can  see  with  out  being  seen.  Do 
you  understand?" 

"  Of  course  I  do  !  Hecan  look 
at  her  in  all  her  innocence,  when 
she  does  not  dream  that  a  man's 
eyes  are  on  her." 

"  That's  it.  Now,  I  don't  suppose 
we  could  coax  her  to  stay  all  night, 
could  we  ?" 

"  Oh,  I  guess  you  can  prevail  on 
her  !"  Nell  cast  a  wicked  glance  at 
the  old  woman,  when  she  said  this. 

"  I  didn't  mean  that  I  But  I'll  tell 
you  what  we  can  do ;  she  is  to  take 
tea  with  us.  I  shall  not  dose  her 
very  bad,  at  the  start — just  enough 
to  make  her  a  little  drowsy,  that's 
all." 

"  Will  this  preparation  be  in  her 
tea  ?" 

"  I  think  that  would  be  the  best 
way  to  get  it  safely  down  her  throat' 
don't  you  ?" 

"But  suppose  she  dont  drink 
tea  ?" 

"  I  had  not  thought  of  that.  In 
order  to  make  a  sure  thing  of  it,  I 
will  doctor  a  piece  of  cake,  and  will 
so  arrange  it  on  the  plate  that  she 
cannot  miss  it,  when  passed  to  her." 

And  thus  was  the  shameful  con- 
spiracy concocted  to  betray  and  ruin 
an  innocent  girl ! 

"  By  the  way,  Madame,"  said  Nell, 
"  how  is  this  man  Brown  fixed  ?" 

"  Oh,  he's  rich— got  lots  of  dust !" 

"What  is  his  business  ?" 

'•  He  is  a  wholesale  merchant,  and 
does  business  on  Lake  street." 

"  Has  he  a  family  ?" 

"  Yes,  a  wife  and  four  children, 
I  believe." 

"  Daughters  ?" 

"  Two,  I  think — young  ladies." 

"  Well,    now,   wouldn't  it   be  a 


good  joke  if  somebody  should  rope 
in  one  of  his  darlings  ?" 

"  I  don't  think  he  would  look  on 
it  as  a  joke." 

"  But  I  would,  and  I'd  do  it,  too, 
if  I  had  a  chance  !" 

"  You  would  ?  Oh  yeu  wicked 
girl!" 

"  Is  it  any  wickeder  to  decoy  his 
girl  than  it  would  be  yours,  if  you 
had  one?" 

"  Oh,  no,  but  we  know  him,  you 
know,  and  it  would  make  trouble 
for  us." 

"  Well,  we  won't  talk  about  it 
any  more,  but  I'd  just  like  to  get 
in  my  work  on  the  old  bloke  1" 

At  the  appointed  hour  Wicked 
Nell  left  the  house  of  Madame 
Dodge,  on  her  mission. 

But,  as  the  reader  probably  sus- 
pects, she  did  not  go  to  the  High 
School.  The  pleasing  story  she 
had  told  to  tickle  the  ear  of  Mad- 
ame Dodge  was  concocted  in  her 
active  brain,  without  any  founda- 
tion whatever. 

"  The  old  woman  thinks  I'm  a 
darling  now — wonder  how  long  it 
will  be  before  she  will  call  me  a 
wolff"  mused  Nell,  as  she  tripped 
merrily  along,  as  happy  in  her  dev- 
iltry as  any  girl  in  Chicago. 

To  the  house  of  Anna  Davis,  on 
Jackson  street,  instead  of  the  High 
School,  she  directed  her  footsteps. 
She  found  Anna,  as  usual,  engaged 
in  chewing  snuff. 

"Where  is  Red-Headed  Jen?" 
said  Nell,  after  the  usual  greetings 
had  been  exchanged. 

"  Oh,  she's  somewhere  around  the 
corner — filling  up  her  keg  with 
booze,  I  s'pose." 

Just  then  Jennie  Smith  made  her 
appearance,  and  the  two  girls  went 
out  to  "take  a  walk  and  have  a 
talk,"  as  they  expressed  it. 

"  Now,  Jen,"  said  Nell,  "I've  got 
a  big  thing  for  us  to  put  up,  if 


47 


you're  only  smart  enough  to  work 
the  job." 

"  I'm  smart  enough  to  do  any- 
thing, if  there's  any  stamps  in  it." 

"  That's  just  it !  The  old  cock 
is  loaded  !  His  leather's  as  big  as 
your  leg !" 

'•'  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  ?" 

"  Play  virgin  !" 

A  ringing  laugh  was  the  reply. 

"  But  I'm  in  earnest,"  continued 
Nell ;  "  you  are  a  High  School 
scholar ;  I  met  you  there,  got  ac- 
quainted, went  to  the  Park  with 
you,  and  roped  you  into  the  house 
of  my  aunt,  on  Harmon  Court." 

';  But,  Nell,  do  you  think  you 
can  rope  me  in  ?  I'm  awful  inno- 
cent ^  you  know." 

"  No  kidding,  Jen,"  was  the  re- 
ply ;  "  are  you  in  for  the  fun  ?" 

"  I'm  in  for  anything  that  will 
pan  out.  But  don't  you  think  it's 
a  little  too  much  cheek  to  pass  me 
off  for  a  High  School  girl,  when  I 
can  hardly  read?" 

"  Oh,  that's  nothing.  The  old 
cove  won't  be  thinking  about  read- 
ing when  he  sees  you." 

The  girls  perfected  all  their  ar- 
rangements satisfactorily,  and 
when,  between  four  and  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  they  started  for 
the  house  of  Madame  Dodge,  they 
really  looked  the  characters  they 
represented  to  perfection.  Jennie 
wore  a  rather  short  dress,  display- 
ing to  good  advantage  a  robust 
calf,  but  nevertheless  her  appear- 
ance was  modest  and  unassuming, 
and  even  an  expert  in  wickedness 
would  not  have  dreamed  that  she 
was  anything  but  a  school  girl. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
A  little  before  5  o'clock,  Wicked 
Nell  and  her  "  school-girl  "  friend 
made  their  appearance  at  the  house 
of  Madame  Dodge.  The  old  pro- 
curess met  them  at  the  door,  wear- 
ing one  of  her  most  saintly  smiles, 


and  cordially  welcomed  her  "niece" 
and  the  "little  friend"  whose  ac- 
quaintance she  had  so  recently 
formed.  They  were  all  alone,  the 
Madame  said,  as  she  conducted  them 
into  the  parlor — but  a  casual  glance 
at  the  bed-room  door,  which  stood 
ajar,  convinced  both  girls  that  the 
pious-looking  old  lady  lied. 

"  You  must  make  yourself  quite 
at  home  here,"  said  the  Madame, 
addressing  Jennie  ;  "we  seldom  have 
visitors,  and  when  one  does  come 
we  try  to  make  their  stay  as  agree- 
able as  we  can," 

Red- Headed  Jennie,  admirably 
assuming  the  eoyness  that  the  char- 
acter she  represented  required, 
thanked  Mrs.  Dodge  very  politely, 
as  she  took  a  seat  upon  the  sofa, 
and  permitted  Wicked  Nell  to  take 
charge  of  her  hat. 

The  girls  were  then  left  alone, 
the  old  woman  leaving  to  prepare 
the  evening  meal.  At  least,  they 
were  supposed  to  think  they  were 
alone,  but  they  didn't.  Both  were 
well  aware  that  a  pair  of  eager  eyes 
peered  at  them  from  the  crack  of 
that  door,  watching  every  move- 
ment they  made,  and  gloating  over 
the  coming  conquest.  Jennie  took 
especial  pains  to  get  in  range,  and 
make  as  favorable  display  of  her- 
self as  she  could,  in  an  accidental 
way. 

"Zound!"  muttered  Brown,  as 
he  gazed  upon  her,  "  she's  a  daisy 
— a  perfect  little  angel !"  But  his 
eye  wandered  from  the  "  green  " 
girl  to  Wicked  Nell,  and  he  could 
not  but  wish  that  they  could,  by 
some  strange  power,  change  places. 
Nell  was  a  beauty,  but  she  was 
wicked  ;  the  other  was  also  pretty, 
and  innocent,  too — but  some  how 
there  was  a  charm  about  Nell  that 
the  old  man  could  not  resist. 

The  merchant  was  in  an  ecsta- 
cy  of  delight,  and  yet  he  was  not 
happy.  There  sat  two  girls,  the 


48 


one  having  the  charm  of  innocence 
and  perfection  of  form,  the  other 
an  acknowledged  out-cast,  but  oh  ! 
so  ravishingly  beautiful !  To  choose 
between  these,  had  he  the  oppor- 
tunity to  choose,  would  have  been 
a  hard  task  Wicked  Nell  was,  he 
thought,  the  most  lovely  girl  his 
eyes  had  ever  rested  upon — while 
her  companion,  fresh  from  the 
school  room,  with  all  the  coyness 
of  blushing  maidenhood,  was  an  at- 
traction not  to  be  overlooked  by 
the  worldly-minded,  wicked  man. 
Well  might  he  exclaim,  as  in  his 
seclusion  he  reviewed  them  : 

"  Oh,  how  happy  could  I  be  with  either, 
Were  t'other  dear  charmer  away !" 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Nell 
and  Red-headed  Jennie  were  all 
this  time  sitting  quiet,  like  two 
sleepy  little  mice.  They,  knew  that 
old  Brown  was  inspecting  one  of 
them,  at  least,  and  the  bad  girls  were 
"  playing  him  for  a  sucker." 

"  Oh,  isn't  this  a  real  nice  place?" 
said  Jennie  enthusiastically. 

"Yes,  it  is  very  comfortable,"  re- 
plied Nell;  ''my  aunt  is  a  lady  of 
means,  and  spares  no  expense  to 
make  her  home  comfortable  and  at- 
tractive." 

"  Oh,"  exclaimed  Jennie,  jumping 
from  her  seat  and  pointing  to  a 
painting  on  the  wall,  "  what  picture 
is  that  ?  " 

The  painting  represented  a  love- 
ly woman  almost  entirely  nude. 

"  I  believe  that  is  intended  to 
represent  an  angel — my  aunt  is  a 
very  religious  woman,"  replied  Nell 
with  a  wink  she  was  careful  old 
Brown  should  not  see. 

"  But  isn't  it  shocking  ? " 

"  Why,  certainly  not !  It  is  a 
sacred  picture  !" 

"  Oh,  my, !  Supposing  a  man 
should  come  in  !  I  wouldn't  look 
at  that  picture  for  all  the  money 
in  Chicago  !  It  makes  me  blush 
even  before  you  !" 


"  Are  you  acquainted  with  many 
men  ?"  asked  Nell. 

"  Only  a  few.  There's  pa  and 
Uncle  John,  and  our  Minister,  and 
my  teacher  at  school,  and  the  Sun- 
day school  teacher,  and  one  or 
two  neighbors — that's  all  I  know." 

"  Haven't  you  got  a  beau  ?" 

"  Beau  !  What  would  a  little 
young  thing  like  me  do  with  a 
Deau?  No,  Indeed !" 

"  She's  the  most  innocent  little 
hick  I  ever  saw,"  thought  Brown, 
ubbing  his  hands  gleefully.     "  I 
enow  what  I'll  do — I'll  pay  the  old 
woman  what  I  agreed  ;  I'll  buy  her, 
and  then  I'll  win  the  other  darling!" 

The  girls  continued  their  con- 
versation at  some  length.  Finally 
Madame  Dodge  entered  the  room 
and  said  : 

"  Children,  I  knew  you  must  be 
aungry,  after  your  long  rambles  this 
afternoon.  Tea  is  all  ready,  and  a 
»ood  meal  always  makes  one  feel 
better.  We  should  be  thankful  that 
a  kind  Providence  has  placed  the 
means  in  our  hands  to  gratify  our 
appeti:es,  while  there  are  hundreds 
of  poor  people  who  lack  for  the  bare 
necessities  of  life  !" 

The  old  woman  sighed  a  sympa- 
thetic  sigh   (the  old  rip  !)  and  con 
tinued : 

"  The  evening  meal  awaits  us. 
Come,  dear  children,  come  !" 

Jennie  affected  bashfulness,  and 
d-  clared  she  wasn't  a  bit  hungry,  but 
a  little  persuasion  induced  her  to 
enter  the  dining  room  and  take  the 
seat  offered  her  at  the  table. 

Closing  her  eyes  and  bowing  her 
head,  that  old  hag,  with  a  hypocrisy 
that  the  devil  himself  would  shrink 
from,  dared  to  ask  the  blessing  of 
Almighty  God  upon  food,  a  portion 
of  which  was  poisoned  !  Even  the 
wicked  wirls  who  had  conspired 
against  her,  shuddered,  and  felt  like 
taking  the  hot  tea  that  steamed  in 
the  silver  vessel  and  pouring  it  over 


her  depraved  head ! 

"  Thank  you,  I  never  drink  tea 
— my  ma  says  it  is  not  good  for 
young  girls,"  said  Jennie,  as  the 
Madame  handed  her  a  well  filled, 
steaming  cup. 

"  You  may  give  me  a  glass  of 
cold  water,  if  you  please,  and  I'll 
pass  this  to  my  friend,  your  niece." 

This  was  a  little  hit  of  deviltry 
that  Nell  had  not  expected,  hut 
she  appreciated  the  joke,  and  as 
she  accepted  the  proffered  cup. 
with  a  smile,  ehe  jumped  up  and 
hurried  into  the  next  room,  return- 
ing with  a  goblet  of  water  for  Jen- 
nie. She  did  not  like  to  trust  the 
old  woman  out  of .  her  sight,  for 
fear  the  water,  too  might  be  "  doc- 
tored," and  Jennie  did  not  care 
about  introducing  into  her  stomach 
anything  that  would  take  away  her 
senses,  even  temporarily. 

When  Wicked  Nell  was  in  the 
other  room  she  called  : 

"  Oh,  aunty  !  Come  here  a  mo- 
ment !" 

Madame  Dodge  hastened  to  an- 
swer the  call. 

"  Have  you  the  cake  all  fixed  ?" 
she  whispered  to  the  old  woman. 

"  It  is  all  prepared  nicely  ;  and  I 
put  up  a  good  strong  dose,  too.  I 
took  an  inventory  of  the  girl,  con- 
cluded that  she  could  not  be  coax- 
ed, and  thought  that  we  would 
make  a  sure  thing.'" 

"That  was  right.  That's  what 
I  called  you  in  for.  The  particu- 
lar piece  is  on  top,  isn't  it  ?" 

"  Yec,  it's  right  where  she  can't 
miss  it." 

"  All  the  others  are  all  right,  I 
s'pose  ?  You  know  /  don't  want 
any  doses  in  mine  ?" 

"  Oh,  don't  be  alarmed,  the 
others  are  perfectly  harmless." 

With  excuses  for  having  left 
their  guest  alone,  the  two  return- 
ed. The  above  conversatioflHlid 
not  -  eqtfire  more  than  a  half 


n- 


ute,  but  the  old  dame  was  perfectly 
polite,  and  considered  that  she 
ought  to  make  an  excuse,  just  for 
effect. 

There  were  three  pieces  of  fruit- 
cake on  the  dish,  so  arranged  that 
the  first  served  must  take  the  one 
designed  for  her,  and  so  on  to  the 
second  and  third.  The  cake  was 
highly  spiced — made  so  for  an  ex- 
press purpose. 

Those  little  conspirators  had  ar- 
ranged for  just  what  has  been  de- 
rcribed  as  taking  place.  It  was  all 
down  in  their  programme.  The  in- 
stant Madame  Dodge  left  the  room, 
Red-Headed  Jennie  transferred  the 
top  chunk  of  spiced  sweetness  to 
the  third  place,  and  when  the  other 
two  came  back  she  was  looking  as 
demure  and  child-like  as  the  pretty 
little  pussy  she  was  supposed  to  be. 

The  meal  progressed  satisfactori- 
ly to  all,  and  a  brisk  conversation 
was  kept  up,  Jennie  only  being 
backward  (as  a  real  modest  girl 
would  naturally  be)  in  talk.  Nell 
pretended  to  sip  the  tea,  but  she 
was  very  careful  not  to  swallow 
any  of  it,  finally  concluded  that 
she,  too,  would  prefer  a  glass  of 
water — it  was  so  hot,  she  said,  and 
warm  tea  made  her  perspire  I 

When  the  abundance  of  good 
things  had  been  sampled  freely, 
Madame  Dodge  took  up  the  ele- 
gant cake  basket,  and  with  a  gra- 
cious smile  handed  it  to  her  guest. 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Jennie,  as 
she  took  off  the  only  slice  she  could 
well  get  hold  of. 

Wicked  Nell,  with  the  proper 
amount  of  "thanks,"  took  the  next, 
while  the  third  went  to  the  old 
woman.  • 

"  This  cake  is  really  the  best  1 
have  ever  ate,"  was  the  enthusias- 
tic recommendation  of  Jennie,  as 
she  proceeded  to  "  stow  away  "  the 
liberal  allowance  that  had  been  al- 
loted  to  her. 


"  It  is  excellent  aunty,;'  chimed 
in  Wicked  Nell. 

"  Yes,  it  has  a  pleasing  flavor," 
responded  the  old  procuress,  and 
she  too,  demolished  the  large  piece 
she  had  taken  from  the  plate. 

The  girls  could  hardly  conceal 
the  satisfaction  they  felt,  as  they 
saw  that  pious-looking  old  fraud 
smack  her  lips  over  the  good  strong 
dose  she  had  fixed  for  the  "  pure," 
the  "innocent,"  the  "  bashful,"  the 
little  "  school  girl." 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Madame  Dodge  entered  the  par- 
lor in  advance  of  the  girls,  and 
hastened  to  the  room  where  the 
voluntary  prisoner  was  confined. 
-  "  Well,  what  do  you  think  of  her?" 
she  said,  addressing  Mr.  Brown,  who 
was  seated  in  an  easy  chair,  puffing 
a  cigar,  and  making  himself  as  com- 
fortable as  he  could,  under  the  cir- 
cumstances. 

"  She  is  certainly  a  charming  lit- 
tle girl,"  he  replied,  "  but  I'm  afraid 
we  shall  have  trouble  with  her.  She 
is  the  most  innocent  and  child-like 
girl  for  one  of  her  age,  that  I  ever 
saw.  Why,  I  don't  believe  an  im- 
pure thought  ever  entered  her  head." 

"  Well,  what  does  that  signify  ? 
You  didn't  want  me  to  get  an  old 
thoroughbred,  did  you,  such  as  you 
can  find  on  Clark  or  Griswold 
street?" 

"  Certainly  not,  Mrs.  Dodge,  but 
are  you  not  afraid  ?  " 

"Afraid  of  what?" 

"  Of  the  consequences  !" 

"  I  really  don't  think  I  quite  un- 
derstand what  you  are  trying  to 
get  at." 

"  Then  let  me  talk  plainer.  This 
girl  is  young — she  is  innocent — she 
has  friends.  What  you  propose  is 
that  she  shall  be  ruined 'by  forcible 
means  !  It  strikes  me  that  there 
is  danger  in  such  work  as  that ! " 

"  Oh,  you  men  are  always  timid. 


If  there  is  danger  it  will  be  for  me 
noiyou,  to  face.  When  you  leave 
this  house,  who  is  to  know  that  the 
eminently  respectable  Mr.  Brown, 
the  wealthy  merchant,  the  honor- 
able gentleman,  has  been  doing  any- 
thing that  would  tarnish  his  fair 
name  ?  Who  is  to  know  that  this 
little  chit  of  a  girl  has  been  by  him 
wronged  ?  I  take  it  that  you  are 
not  going  to  publish  this  business 
to  the  world  ?  " 

"  Very  well,  Mrs.  Dodge,  if  you 
assume  the  risk,  I  am  ready  to  ful- 
fill my  part  of  the  agreement.  Let 
me  see — I  was  to  pay  you" — 

"  Three  hundred  dollars  !" 

"  That  is  correct,  I  believe." 

Mr.  Brown  took  from  his  pocket 
a  roll  of  money,  and  counted  out 
the  required  sum. 

"  There  is  your  pay,  Madame," 
he  said,  "  you  see  I  am  not  as  par- 
ticular as  some  people,  who  never 
pay  for  goods  until  they  are  deliv- 
ered." 

"  The  goods  you  allude  to  are 
just  as  good  as  delivered.  In  an 
hour  from  now  that  girl  will  be  all 
your  own,  to  do  with  as  you  may 
wish." 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you  have 
drugged  her?" 

'"  Oh,  well,  that  would  be  a  harsh 
way  of  saying  it,  but  in  plain  Eng- 
lish it  would  be  just  about  as  cor- 
rect. The  medicine  I  fixed  for  her 
is  perfectly  harmless,  although  for 
several  hours  she  will  be  as  helpless 
as  an  infant  in  its  cradle." 

"  In  a  half  an  hour,  you  think, 
then  the  lamb  will  be  ready  for  the 
sacrifice?" 

"  In  a  half  an  hour  the  little 
lady  will  be  in  readiness  to  receive 
her  lover" 

While  this  conversation  was  tak- 
ing place,  Wicked  Nell  and  Red- 
Headed  Jennie  had  not  been  idling 
a^y  their  time.  A  few  whispered 
w*ds  were  uttered,  and  then  they 


53 


sauntered  into  the  parlor,  talking 
as  though  they  were  really  what 
they  were  pretending  to  be.  But 
Nell,*cautious  as  a  cat,  made  her 
way  on  tip-toe  to  the  bed-room 
door,  listened  attentively,  and  over- 
heard a  great  part  of  what  was 
being  said : 

When  the  Madame  came  to  the 
door,  she  said : 

"Nellie,  dear,  I  am  not  feeling 
well  to-night,  and  I  think  a  little 
wine  would  revive  me.  Perhaps, 
also,  your  little  friend  would  like  a 
glass,  for  I  am  sure  it  would  do  no 
one  any  harm." 

"  I  never  drank  any  wine,  but  if 
you  and  Nellie  say  there  is  no  harm 
in  it,  I  am  sure  it  would  not  be 
wrong,"  said  Jennie,  with  admi- 
rable hinocence  of  look  and  tone  of 
voice. 

"  Please,  then,  have  the  servant 
open  a  bottle, '  the  old  woman  said 
to  Nellie. 

"  Oh,  /  can  do  it,"  said  Wicked 
Nell,  bounding  from  the  room  ;  "  I 
do  love  to  open  wine  !  I'd  rather 
open  it  than  drink  it !" 

Though  she  had  been  in  the 
house  but  a  few  days,  Nell  had  made 
herself  fanwliar  with  the  premises, 
and  knew  exactly  where  everything 
could  be  found.  In  a  very  short 
space  of  time  the  wine  bottle  was 
wrought  from  the  little  room  where 
it  was  kept,  the  goblets  were  in 
readiness,  but  the  bottle  was  not 
then  uncorked. 

"  Two  good,  strong  doses  /"  These 
were  the  half-uttered  words  of 
Wicked  Nell,  as  she  poured  the 
contents  of  a  small  vial  into  two 
of  the  glasses.  And  then  she  con- 
tinued : 

"•The  old  gal  is  tough — she 
needs  a  little  more,  to  make  the 
other  set  nicely  on  her  stomach ! 
The  nice  old  three-hundred  dollar 
bloke  will  not  be  hurt  a 
all  the  rest,  and  so  here  she 


And  that  awful  girl  actually 
emptied  the  little  vial  into  the 
wine  glass ;  and  then,  pop  went 
the  cork,  the  sparkling  fluid  was 
turned  out,  and  in  half  a  minute 
Nell  was  in  tne  parlor  ! 

"  Take  this  one,"  she  whispered 
to  Jennie,  indicating  the  right  glass 
with  her  finger. 

Into  the  other  room  she  glided, 
and  Mr.  Brown,  with  a  smile  that 
was  intended  to  be  exceedingly 
sweet,  gracefully  accepted  the  prof- 
fered glass. 

It  required  no  particularly  bril- 
liant feat  of  legerdemain  to  dis- 
pose of  the  wine  as  it  was  intended 
to  be  given  out.  Mr.  Brown  se- 
cured the  heaviest  '  dose,  '  Mrs. 
Dodge  was  favored  with  the  smaller 
quantity,  while  Nell  and  Jennie, 
the  base  little  conspirators,  placed 
the  pure  juice  to  their  lips  and 
drank  it  off  with  the  greatest  of 
gusto. 

The  merchant  touched  glasses 
with  the  procuress,  and  then  turned 
to  Wicked  Nell. 

"  You  are  a  strange  girl,"  he 
said,  attempting  to  pull  her  upon 
his  knee. 


get  devilish  well  acquainted,"  she 
replied,  gliding  away  from  him,  with 
a  gay  laugh.  "  But  come  !  Let's 
drink!" 

"  Here's  hoping  we  will  have  a 
good  night's  rest  /" 

Nell  raised  her  glass  to  her  lips. 

"A  good  night's  rest !  Ha,  ha, 
ha !  Good  joke,  little  girl,  good 
joke  !"  exclaimed  Mr.  Brown,  almost 
convulsed  with  laughter. 

"A  good  night's  rest !"  repeated 
Madame  Dodge,  and  she,  too, 
laughed  merrily,  punching  the  old 
man  in  the  ribs. 

Wicked  Nell  left  them  in  their 
mirth,  and  joined  her  companion. 

"They're  both  fixed!"  she  said, 
almost  betraying  herself  into  a 


54 


shout  of  triumph.  "  The  old  bear 
took  her  own  medicine  without 
making  up  a  face,  and  the  bloke 
swallowed  his  as  though  it  was  the 
best  drink  ever  sold  over  a  bar! 
In  an  hour  from  now  they'll  both 
be  enjoying  a  good  night's  rest  I 
Then,  Jen,  old  girl,  it  will  be  our 
turn  to  have  fun  !  Then  Wicked 
Nell  will  be  in  her  glory  !  Why, 
we'll  have  more  real  solid-sport  to- 
night than  all  the  rest  of  the  peo- 
ple in  Chicago  put  together  !  Oh, 
how  I  do  wish  the  time  would  fly  ! 


Just 
hour 


wait  an  hour,  Jen,   only  an 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

There  was  no  happier  woman  in 
Chicago  than  Wicked  Nell,  after  she 
had  succeeded  in  "dosing  "  the  old 
procuress,  and  the  somewhat  vener- 
able reprobate  who  had  paid  three 
hundred  dollars  for  the  privilege  of 
ruining  what  he  believed  to  be  an 
innocent  little  girl.  Her  face 
beamed  with  excitement  and  pleas- 
ure, her  eyes  were  more  brilliant 
than  the  setting  sun,  and  there  was 
unalloyed  joy  in  her  heart.  The 
cnssedness  that  was  in  her  could 
with  difficulty  be  subjugated  even 
for  the  brief  half  hour  that  would 
intervene.  She  danced  around  the 
parlor  like  a  frisky  pup,  singing  the 
gayest  songs  she  knew,  and  every 
now  and  then  stopping  to  give  her 
fellow-conspirator  a  hug,  such  as 
one  friendly  bear  would  give  an- 
other, when  in  playful  mood. 

In  the  meantime  Mrs.  Dodge  and 
Mr.  Brown  remained  in  the  other 
room,  both  of  them  smoking  a  choice 
cigar,  and  complacently  waiting  for 
the  minutes  to  pass  that  would 
intervene  before  their  triumph  over 


an    "  innocent 
complete. 


child "    should    be 


"  Nellie  seems  to  be  very  boister- 
ous !  She  is  imprudent  in  acting  in 
that  way,  but  I  suppose  she  thinks 


the  game  is  fairly  bagged,  and 
feels  exultant  over  her  part  ia  the 
scheme.  She  is  a  smart  girl,  sir,  a 
very  smart  girl !  Why,  I  souWn't 
have  done  any  better  myself  than 
she  did,  in  capturing  that  innocent 
dove  !" 

Madame  Dodge  yawned  as  she 
said  this,  and  continued  : 

"  I  wonder  what  makes  me  feel  so 
sleepy  ?  It's  the  warm  weather,  I 
suppose.  The  sultry  days  always 
make  me  feel  dull  and  drowsy  !" 

Another  and  more  protracted 
yawn  followed,  and  the  old  woman 
Looked  wistfully  toward  the  bed, 
secretly  wishing  that  she  could  lie 
down  and  enjoy  a  comfortable  nap. 

Mr.  Brown  enthusiastically  en- 
dorsed the  compliment  that  had 
been  bestowed  upon  Wicked  Nell. 

"  She  is,"  he  said,  "  the  prettiest, 
the  liveliest,  the  wickedest  little 
puss  that  was 
parent  cat ! 
little  spit-fire 

ing  two  or  three  days  to  make  my- 
self agreeable  to  her,  and  I  haven't 
even  got  as  much  as  a  kiss  for  my 
pains  !  Am  I  so  very  ugly,  Madame 
Dodge,  that  the  wild  girls  should  fly 
from  me  as  they  would  from  a 
fright  ?" 

The  old  man  here  accompanied 
the  old  woman  in  a  sociable  "  gap." 
Evidently,  the  disease  was  "  catch- 


ever  fondled   by   a 
But  she's  a  perfect 
Here  I've  been  try- 


" Really 


Mr.   Brown  /  can  see 


nothing  repulsive  or  disagreeable  in 
your  looks.  In  my  eyes,  you  have 
the  appearance  of  a  perfect  gentle- 
man !  Nellie  is  an  eccentric  little 
creature,  and  if  the  truth  were 
known  I  believe  she  is  merely  flirt- 
ing with  you,  with  the  full  intention 
of  submitting  gracefully,  and  nest- 
ling cosily  in  your  bosom,  if  you 
fight  hard  enough  and  long  enough 
to  get  her.  I  will  do  a  little  schem- 
ing myself  in  your  behalf,  Mr. 
Brown,  if  you  wish  me  to,  and  I 


55 


have  no  doubt  of  ultimate  success. 
I  seldom  fail  in  any  of  my  under- 
takings, you  know !" 

"  If  you  will  do  so,  Mrs.  Dodge, 
you  will  earn  my  everlasting  grati- 
tude !  I'm  '  stuck  '  on  that  girl,  as 
,  the  boys  around  town  would  say  ! 
I  really  believe  I  could  love  her, 
wicked  and  full  of  the  devil  as  she 
is!" 

"  She  shall  be  yours,  if  you  want 
her,"  was  the  confident  reply  of  the 
mistress  of  the  house,  who  felt  cer- 
tain that  Nell  was  playing  the  old 
codger  for  a  sucker,  and  was  only 
waiting  for  a  golden  bait  before  she 
nibbled  at  the  hook. 

"  Why,  what  under  the  sun  can 
be  the  matter  with  me  ?"  exclaimed 
the  Madame,  "  I  really  feel  as 
though  I  shall  faint !  I  can't  keep 
my  eyes  open  !  Mr.  Brown — I — 
think — I — shall  — have — to — lay — 
down  !" 

With  the  word  "  down,"  down  the 
old  woman  went,  on  the  floor,  as 
senseless  as  a  log  of  wood,  or  a  bag 
of  potatoes. 

"  Help  !     for  God's  sake,  help  !'. 
shouted  Mr.  Brown,  rushing  into  the 
parlor,  "Mrs.  Dodge  has  fallen  to  the 
floor,    and   I'm    afraid    something 
dreadful  has  happened  to  her  !" 

Nell  did  not  exhibit  the  least  bit 
of  alarm,  but  walked  quietly  into 
the  room,  knelt  down  beside  the  old 
lady,  and  stroked  her  hot  brow. 

"Do  not  fear,"  she  said,  "my 
aunt  is  subject  to  these  fits,  and 
they  are  not  the  least  bit  danger- 
ous !  Sfte'll  be  all  over  it  in  fifteen 
minutes !  If  you  will  help  me, 
we'll  lay  her  on  the  bed,  and  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  Mr.  Brown, 
she'll  be  as  wide  awake  and  sensible 
as  yon  will  be  /" 

"  I  am  glad  of  that,"  he  said,  "for 
I  was  afraid  that  something  alarm- 
ing had  happened,  and  that  possibly 
she  might  die!" 

The  old  woman  was  then  "  boost- 


ed," as  best  they  could,  to  the  bed, 
but  in  the  process  Nell  "  accident- 
all"  knocked  out  the  Madame's  false 
teeth,  leaving  the  toothless  old 
hag's  cheeks  with  a  sadly  gaunt  and 
hungry  look  about  them. 

"Mr.  Brown,"  whispered  Nell, 
"  this  girl  did  not  know  that  you 
were  here.  I  will  introduce  you." 

"  This  is  my  uncle,  the  brother  of 
my  aunt,"  said  the  scheming  girl, 
whose  quick  brain  had  already  con- 
cocted a  plan  by  which  the  meeting 
of  these  two  would  be  beneficial  to 
herself  and  pal. 

"  I  am  glad  to  meet  you,  sir,  and 
sorry  to  see  your  sister  in  the  condi- 
tion she  is  now,"  said  Jennie,  with 
an  assumed  modesty  that  was  quite 
charming,  as  she  looked  him  full  in 
»the  face — not  brazenly,  but  search- 
ingly  and  trustingly,  as  a  child  might 
look  into  the  face  of  its  father. 

The  old  man  winced.  He  was 
sorry  she  had  seen  him,  for  she 
would  certainly  recognize  him 
should  they  ever  meet  again.  At 
the  same  time,  be  wondered  why  on 
earth  she  did  not  show  the  symp- 
toms of  drowsiness,  and  mentally 
cursed  her  for  not  going  to  sleep 
like  a  good  girl,  and  thus  put  an 
end  to  an  interview  that  was  far 
from  pleasant  to  him. 

But  the  girl  stubbornly  refused 
to  keel  over,  as  the  old  woman  had 
done,  and  his  own  drowsiness  began 
to  fill  the  old  merchant  with  alarm. 
He  had  never  felt  in  that  way  before 
in  his  life.  He  could  not  see  clearly, 
and  every  thing  in  the  room  began 
to  whirl  around,  in  a  confused  and 
disorderly  manner. 

"  Children,"  he  gasped,  "  do  you 
see  anything  peculiar  in  this  room? 
Don't  you  feel  as  though  you  were 
going  to  suffocate  ?  Open  the  doors 
and  windows  !  Quick  !  I  am  dy- 
ing !  God  have  mercy  on  me  ! 
Water  !  Wa— " 

The  old  man  said  no  more.     He 


would  have  fallen  to  the  floor  had 
not  the  girls  apprehended  some- 
thing of  the  kind,  and  caught  him 
as  he  was  going  over. 

"  Laj  him  out  tf  hderly, 
Handle  with  care  I  " 

exclaimed  Wicked  Nell,  as  they 
eased  the  progress  of  his  descent, 
and  laid  him  gently  on  the  carpet. 

"Oh,  Nell,"  said  Jennie,  "ain't 
you  afraid  ?  I  am." 

"  Wicked  Nell  wouldn't  be  afraid 
of  the  devil  !"  was  her  reply,  as  she 
stood  back,  put  her  foot  on  Mr. 
Brown's  breast,  and  took  a  good 
square  look  at  him. 

"  I've  a  devilish  good  mind  to  put 
a  head  on  him,"  she  said,  as  she 
raised  up  her  foot,  and  made  a 
movement  as  though  to  stamp  in 
his  face  with  her  boot  heel. 

"Oh,  don't!"  exclaimed  Red- 
Headed  Jennie,  in  alarm. 

"  Hush,  honey,"  said  Nell,  "don't 
be  alarmed,  I  was  only  making  be- 
lieve. Why,  I  wouldn't  harm  a 
hair  in  his  old  gray  head.  But 
I'll  have  some  fun  with  them." 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do? " 

"  Put  'em  to  bed  T 

"  Where  is  the  other  room  ?  I 
don't  see  any." 

"  No,  there  isn't  any,  and  I 
wouldn't  use  it  if  there  was  !  We'll 
just  chuck  'em  in  together  !" 

"  Gracious  !  You  don't  mean 
that  ?  There'll  be  a  terrible  kick  !  " 

u  Let  'em  kick  !  What  do  we 
care  ?  But  they  won't  kick  much 
for  a  few  hours,  not  if  I  know  my- 
self.'  Why,  they  can't  even  grunt." 

Both  girls  indulged  in  a  hearty 
laugh. 

"  Now,  then,  let's  undress  the  old 
woman,"  said  Nell,  as  she  started 
for  the  bed  room. 

"You  don't  tell  me  you  are 
goin  to  undress  her  ?" 

"  Yes— both  of  em!" 

Jennie  was  a  bad  girl,  but  she 
had  not  the  audacious  wickedness 


of  Nell,  and  the  idea  promulgated 
by  her  sister  in  sin,  seemed  to  her 
perfectly  awful. 

"  I  don't  think  you'd  better  do  it, 
Nell,"  she  said,  "  I'm  afraid  they'll 
send  us  to  the  Bridewell,  sure,  when 
it's  all  over." 

"  Why,  you  poor  silly  girl,"  re- 
plied Nell,  "  don't  you  see  we've 
got  the  best  of  them  ?  What  were 
you  doing  here  ?  Didn't  they  think 
you  were  an  innocent  little  school- 
girl, and  hasn't  she  got  the  money 
in  her  pocket  now  that  was  paid 
for  your  ruin  ?  When  they  wake 
up,  you  will  not  be  here  !  You  will 
be  at  school,  vou  know — in  their 

. 

minds.  It  will  be  me  who  will 
have  to  face  the  music,  and  if  I 
ain't  smart  enough  to  get  out  of  the 
scrape,  all  right,  I'll  deserve  to  be 
sent  up,  that's  all." 

"  All  right,  go  ahead,  boss  the 
job,  and  I'll  do  my  share  of  the 
work,"  said  Jennie,  who  was 
strengthened  by  Wicked  Nell's  as- 
suring words. 

It  took  but  a  few  minutes  to  un- 
dress the  old  woman,  and  stow  her 
away  snugly  and  cosily  under  the 
snow-white  sheets. 

Mr.  Brown  was  a  rather  unwieldy 
subject,  and  it  required  considerable 
muscle  to  prepare  him  for  bed,  but 
the  work  was  finally  accomplished, 
not  without  much  merriment  on 
the  part  of  the  two  girls,  whose 
modesty  was  of  a  fire-proof  charac- 
ter, and  who  were  in  no  wise  par- 
ticular as  to  what  they  di<4  or  said. 

"  Oh,  ain't  they  a  sweet  pair !" 
xclaimed  Nell,  dancing  with  de- 
light. Then  pushing  the  old  man's 
dead  over  to  the  old  woman's  face, 
she  said  with  mock  affection : 
"Kiss  your  baby? 

Then  both  girls  screamed  with 
Laughter,  and  Nell  actually  laiid  on 
the  floor  and  rolled  over,  so  great 
uras  her  delight.  When  this  par- 


oxvsm   was   over,  she  got  up  and 

eaid : 

"  Now,  Jen,  old  gal,  we'll  whack 
up." 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean — 
I'm  sure  I  haven't  got  anything," 
replied  Jennie,  rather  ruefully,  for 
the  girl  did  sadly  need  a  few  dol- 
lars with  which  to  fit  herself  up  as 
she  desired  to  do. 

"  But  the  old  woman  has  got 
three  hundred  dollars  of  our  money, 
and  we're  going  to  have  it  !  He 
didn't  bargain  with  her  for  such 
a  companion,"  she  said,  pointing 
to  the  bed,  and  again  indulging 
in  a  laugh,  li  and  when  they  get 
up  she  can  make  him  settle  !" 

While  she  was  saying  this,  she 
was  rummaging  in  Madame  Dodge's 
pockets,  and  the  money  was  soon 
found. 

"  Don't  this  look  like  stealing  ?" 
inquired  Jennie,  who  was  a  little 
nervous,  and  hesitated,  as  Nell 
counted  the  crisp  greenbacks. 

"  Don't  it  belong  to  us  ?" 

"  Well,  not  exactly." 

"  Does  it  belong  to  her1?" 

"  It  don't  seem  that  she  ought  to 
have  it." 

"Jennie,"  said  Nell,  *'  I  wouldn't 
steal  a  cent — you  know  very  well 
I  wouldn't,  Jen — where  it  would  be 
mean  to  steal.  But  here  this  d — d 
old  scoundrel  has  paid  this  money 
to  the  old  hag<  for  what  ?  Why  be- 
cause she  roped  in,  or  I  did  for  her, 
a  decent  girl !  That's  what  they 
thought,  any  way  !  Now,  wasn't 
that  cowardly,  and  mean,  and 
contemptible  ?  Wicked  as  I  am, 
Jennie  Smith,  /  wouldn't  do  that 
for  all  the  money  in  Chicago  !  If 
a  girl  wants  to  turn  out,  as  you  and 
I  did,  let  her  do  it,  and  I'll  help  her 
along,  but  d — n  any  manor  woman 
who  would  force  a  good  girl,  I  say, 
and  if  I  can  get  the  best  of  them 
when  trying  to  do  it,  you  can  bet 
your  life  I  won't  throw  the  chance 


over  my  shoulder,  call  it  stealing  or 
whatever  you  will !" 

Jennie  made  no  further  objec- 
tions, and  the  money  was  equally 
divided. 

"  Now  what  ?  said  Jennie,  turn- 
ing inquiringly  to  her/companion. 

"  Now  for  more  fun  /"  exclaimed 
Wicked  Nell,  as  she  turned,  gaily, 
upon  her  heel,  and  faced  the  uncon- 
scious couple  in  the  bed. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

After  the  two  girls  had  divided 
the  money  that  Nell  had  taken 
from  the  pocket  of  Madame  Dodge, 
it  would  be  but  natural  to  suppose 
that  no  more  deviltry  would  be  at- 
tempted, at  least  so  far  as  the 
drugged  man  and  woman  were  con- 
cerned. It  required  the  quick 
brain  and  the  reckless  disposition 
of  Wicked  Nell  to  complete  the 
joke  that  was  being  played  on  the 
procuress  and  her  customer.  When 
she  turned  to  Jennie  Smith,  and 
exclaimed:  "Now  for  more  fun," 
she  meant  all  that  the  words  could 
possibly  imply — more  than  most 
people  would  imagine. 

"For  heaven's  sake,  Nell,"  said 
Jennie,  "  what  more  can  you  do  ?" 

Oh,  I'm  not  half  done  yet.  When 
a  girl  as  wicked  as  I  am  sets  her 
wits  to  work,  on  such  elegant  sub- 
jects, they  won't  get  off  as  easy 
as  that." 

Nell  left  the  room  when  she 
ceased  speaking,  and  returned  in 
almost  a  minute,  with  a  big  lump 
of  charcoal  in  her  hand. 

'•  You're  not  going  to  build  a 
fire,  are  you  ?"  inquired  Jennie,  in 
utter  amazement. 

"No,  but  I'm  going  to  do  some- 
thing that  will  make  things  hot  in 
this  neighborhood  to-morrow  morn- 
ing," was  the  reply,  and  the  mis- 
'  chievous  light  that  shone  in  Nell's 
I  eye  told  plainer  than  words  could 
j  tell  that  she  had  a  remarkably  bril- 


liant  scheme  in  her  head. 

"  Go  OD  with  the  show,  then," 
said  Jennie,  laughing,  yet  showing 
that  she  had  misgivings  concerning 
the  final  result  of  the  wild  adven- 
tures of  that  night. 

By  this  time  the  evening  had 
well  advanced,  and  Nell  turned  on 
the  gas  before  proceeding  to.  busi- 
ness. Then,  advancing  to  the  bed, 
she  commenced  rubbing  the  faces 
of  the  sleepers  with  charcoal,  at 
the  same  time  indulging  in  remarks 
suitable  to  the  merry  occasion. 

"  What  kind  of  a  pair  would  this 
be  to  draw  to  ?"  she  inquired,  while 
artistically  polishing  the  nose  of 
the  merchant ;  and  then  she  added 
by  way  of  showing  her  familiarity 
with  the  noble  game  of  draw  poker : 

"  But  then  it  would  be  a  spade 
flush,  wouldn't  it  ?  Guess  we'll  have 
to  stand  pat  at  the  end  of  the  deal ! " 

"  The  old  gal  isn't  as  flush  as  she 
was  a  while  ago,  is  she  ?"  contin- 
ued the  little  reprobate,  still  daub- 
ing on  charcoal. 

Industry  and  perseverance  were 
soon  rewarded,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes, had  a  stranger  peeped  into 
that  bed-room,  he  would  have  taken 
a  Bible  oath  that  two  of  the  black- 
est mokes  ever  imported  from  Af- 
rica were  snugly  ensconced  beneath 
the  sheets. 

Nell  laughed  until  the  tears 
streamed  down  her  cheeks,  but  Jen- 
nie did  not  enjoy  the  fun  as  well  as 
she  would  if  she  had  not  been  fear- 
ful of  the  consequences.  She  could 
not  help  but  think  that  there  would 
be  a  terrible  awakening  on  the  mor- 
row, and  she  was  afraid  herself  and 
friend  would  be  so  far  implicated 
as  to,  at  least,  make  it  very  un- 
pleasant for  them. 

"  Now,  then,  Jen,"  said  Nell, 
after  enjoying  the  strange  specta- 
cle to  her  heart's  delight,  "  let's  run 
around  to  the  drug  store  on  the 
corner,  for  a  minute.'* 


"  What  in  the  world  do  you  want 
there,  replied  Jennie,  completely 
dumbfounded;  "You're  not  going 
to  commit  suicide,  are  you?" 

"  Oh,  no,  not  so  bad  as  that.  But 
I  must  have  another  dose  of  that 
stuff  that  makes  folks  sleep/' 

"Another  dose !  Is  it  for  me  you 
want  it,  or  are  you  going  to  take  a 
long  and  pleasant  nap  yourself." 

"  Just  wait  a  little.  We're  in 
for  it  now,  sure,  and  we  might  as 
well  die  for  a  lamb  as  for  a  sheep." 

"  No,  Nell,  I  won't  go  a  step ! 
This  thing  has  gone  far  enough, 
and  I'm  going  home  !  I  wish  I  bad 
never  come  here,  Nell !  I  didn't 
think  you  would  rope  me  into  such 
a  scrape  as  this  ! " 

"  You?  Why  you  are  an  inno- 
cent school  girl !  Had  it  not  been 
for  me,  you  would  have  been  where 
the  old  gal  is  now.  You  can  go  if 
you  want  to,  though,  Jen,  I  can  tell 
you  the  circus  ain't  half  over ! 
The  concluding  performance  will  be 
the  best  of  all.  But  as  you  are  so 
very  timid,  so  much  afraid  of  being 
out  after  sundown,  1  guess  you  had 
better  start  for  your  ma  right  away. 

Nell  knew  this  would  shame  the 
proud  and  daring  Red-Head,  and 
it  did.  She  said  no  more  about 
going  home,  but  accompanied  Nell 
to  State  street,  remaining  on  the 
outside  while  her  companion  enter- 
ed the  store  of  the  druggist. 

A  straighter  or  more  solemn  face 
than  that  worn  by  Wicked  Nell, 
when  she  stood  before  the  apothe- 
cary, was  never  seen. 

"  What  do  you  wish,  Miss  ?"  said 
the  man  behind  the  counter,  smil- 
ing pleasantly,  as  he  came  forward, 
and  noticing  at  the  same  time  that 
he  was  dealing  with  a  stunning 
beauty. 

"  Please,  sir,"  said  Nellie,  in  rue- 
ful tones,  "my  ma  is  almost  crazy 
with  neuralgia,  and  she  sent  me  here 
for  something  that  will  make  her 


6i 


sleep.     Have  you  any  such   medi- 
cine. 

"  Oh,  yes,  Miss,  we  have  drugs 
that  would  make  her  sleep  a  day, 
a  week,  a  month,  or  forever!  Which 
do  you  prefer?" 

"  Please  let  me  have  something 
that  will  make  her  sleep  very 
sound  to-night.  She's  had  an  aw- 
ful time,  sir,  and  oh,  you  don't 
know  how  bad  she  needs  rest." 

The  druggist  prepared  a  strong 
sleeping  portion. 

"  Half  of  this  will  be  a  dose,"  he 
said, as  he  handed  Nell  the  package. 
She  paid  for  the  purchase  without 
pretending  to  take  notice  of  the  at- 
tempt the  drug  clerk  had  been  mak 
ing  to  "mash"  her,  and  hurried 
away. 

The  girls  did  not  notice  that  they 
wi^fellowedi  as  they  tripped  gaily 
and  rapidly  along  the  street. 

Jim  Morgan  was  on  special  duty 
that  evening,  and  had  spotted  Wick- 
ed Nell  as  she  entered  the  drug 
store. 

"  There's   deviltry  of  some  kind 

foing  on,"  muttered  the  officer, 
eeping  a  safe  distance  behind. 
"  Those  ducks  are  bent  on  mischief 
— I'll  pipe  'em,  and  find  out  their 
racket. 

Like  a  shadow  the  detective  fol- 
lowed, without  being  seen,  nntil  the 
girls  entered  the  assignation  house 
on  Harmon  Court.  He  then  re- 
turned to  the  drug  store  and  in- 
quired : 

"  What  did  that  girl  want  here,  a 
few  minutes  ago  ?" 

"  She  bought  a  sleeping  potion, 
for  the  benefit  of  her  old  mother, 
who  has  the  neuralgia." 

"  The  devil  she  did  !" 

The  detective  said  no  more,  but 
made  quick  time  to  the  Armory, 
where  a  report  was  made  of  the 
circumstances  to  his  commanding 
officer. 

Captain  Hickey  was  a  man  of  few 


words.  Three  officers  were  directed 
to  dress  themselves  in  citizens' 
clothes  and  place  themselves  in 
charge  of  Morgan. 

Wicked  Nell  and  Jennie  returned 
to  the  house  of  Madame  Dodge, 
they  found  everything  as  they  had 
left  it — all  was  lovely. 

"  Now,  Nell,  do  tell  me  what 
you  are  going  to  do  with  that  stuff 
you  bought  just  now,  at  the  drug 
store,"  said  Jennie,  after  they  had 
entered. 

"  Wait  one  minute,  and  you  will 
see,"  was  Nell's  reply,  as  she  closed 
the  bed-room  door,  and  rang  a  little 
bell. 

A  black  servant,  fat  and  greasy 
responded  to  the  summons. 

"Aunty,  the  Madame  has  gone 
out  for  a  short  walk  with  a  friend, 
and  while  she's  gone  I  thought  you 
and  I,  and  my  friend  here,  might 
cheer  ourselves  up  with  a  little  of 
the  juice  that  cheers.  Which  would 
you  like  best,  Aunty  dear,  a  glass  of 
wine,  or  something  else  ?" 

"  De  Lorelmity  bress  your  little 
heart,  missus,  you  can  gub  dis  child 
a  little  drop  of  old  whisk !  Wine  is 
fust  rate  for  de  gals,  but  it  isn't 
strong  enuf  for  de  tuff  stummucks 
of  brack  folks!" 

The  negress  rolled  up  her  eyes  to 
show  her  pleasure,  and  awaited  the 
return  of  Nell  with  the  "refresh- 
ments." A  good,  liberal  dose  of 
whisky  was  given  her,  and  it  was 
swallowed  with  a  smack  of  the  big 
black  lips,  and  a  grunt  of  satisfac- 
tion. The  wench  then  returned  to 
her  quarters,  and  once  more  the 
plotting  girls  were  alone. 

"  Do  you  tumble  to  my  racket 
now  ?"  said  Nell  to  her  companion. 

"  I  know  that  you  have  dosed  the 
black  woman,  but  I  can't  imagine 
what  for.  What  has  she  done  to 
you  ?" 

a  Nothing,  and  I  haven't  done  any- 
thing very  serious  to  her.  I'm  just 


62 


going  to  tumble  her  into  that  bed, 
with  those  two  other  niggers  !" 

The  proposition  almost  took  the 
breath  away  from  Jennie,  but  she 
made  no  objection,  and  agreed  to  as- 
sist in  toting  the  black  gal  from  the 
kitchen  to  the  bed- room,  as  soon  as 
the  powder  had  taken  effect. 

In  the  course  of  hall  an  hour, 
they  visited  the  headquarters  of  the 
lady  from  Africa,  and  were  delight- 
ed to  find  her  sound  asleep  in  a 
rocking  chair. 

"  Isn't  this  lucky  !"  exclaimed 
Nell,  joyfully.  "  Why,  we  can  draw 
her  along,  chair  and  all,  and  roll  her 
right  over  on  to  the  bed,  without  a 
bit  of  trouble  !" 

Notwithstanding  this  assertion, 
the  girls  found  it  hard  work,  and 
when  they  had  completed  the  dis- 
robing process,  and  had  arranged 
the  genuine  wench  on  one  side  of 
the  lecherous  merchant,  and  the 
bogus  one  on  the  other,  they  were 
pretty  well  "  tuckered  out." 

"  That's  what  I  call  nice  and  com- 
fortable !  Just  see  how  loving  the 
old  coon  is  !  Isn't  he  affectionate, 
though,  with  one  arm  around  each 
maiden  fair  !  But  he  ought  to  pay 
double  !  I  guess  we'll  charge  him 
six  hundred,  instead  of  three  for  this 
night's  repose !" 

Nell  was  only  half  in  jest  when 
she  said  this.  She  had  serious 
thoughts  about  making  that  old  rep- 
robate pay  dearly  for  his  whistle. 

The  last  words  had  scarcely  es- 
caped from  her  lips  when  there  was 
a  violent  ring  of  the  bell,  and  a 
loud  pounding  upon  the  door. 

"  Mercy  ."'  shrieked  Jennie.  "Wkat 
shall  we  do  ?  Can't  we  run  ?" 

"  Not  much  !"  replied  Wicked 
Nell 

"  What,  then  can  we  do  ?" 

" Face  the  music!"  replied  the 
brave  girl,  as  she  proceeded  to  open 
the  door. 

But  she  was  somewhat  startled 


when  she  recognized  Officer  Morgan, 
and  three  other  policemen,  all  of 
whom  strode  unbiddea  into  the 
house! 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

Though  startled  when  she  saw 
the  officers,  Wicked  Nell's  courage 
did  not  desert  her,  and  she  de- 
manded haughtily,  as  she  placed 
herself  in  front  of  the  leader : 

"  Sir,  what  is  your  business  here  ? 
This  is  a  private  house — a  respect- 
able family  lives  here — and  as  you 
are  not  wanted,  you  had  better  get 
out!" 

"  No,  I  don't  think  we  are  wanted 
here,  just  now,"  was  Jim  Morgan's 
laconic  reply,  "but  if  it's  all  the 
same  to  you  we'll  stay  a  little  while 
with  you.  You  and  I  are  old 
friends,  you  know,  Nellie,  and  it 
isn't  the  square  thing  to  go  back 
on  me  in  such  an  impolite  manner, 
when  I  only  called  to  inquire  after 
your  health  !" 

The  four  men  then  rudely  pushed 
past  the  girl,  and  walked  into  the 
parlor. 

"Be  seated,  gentlemen,"  said 
Nell,  with  mock  politeness. 

"  Well,  come  to  think  about  it,  I 
don't  know  as  I  care  about  sitting 
down,"  said  Morgan;  "  but  let  me 
inquire,  how's  your  mother?  " 

"  You  have  probably  seen  her 
since  I  have — I  left  her  in  your 
company,"  was  the  reply. 

"  Indeed  !  Why,  I  thought  she 
was  sutiering  terribly  with  the 
neuralgia  f" 

When  Wicked  Nell  heard  this 
she  knew  there  was  no  earthly  es- 
cape for  her,  but  she  was  deter- 
mined to  be  "  game  "  to  the  last, 
no  matter  what  might  be  the  result. 

"  I  see  that  you  have  been 
sneaking  around  after  a  poor  girl 
who  never  did  you  any  harm,"  she 
said,  defiantly,  "  and  since  you  have 
discovened  so  much,  what  are  you 


going  to  do  about  it  ?" 

"  I  am  going  to  arrest  you,  and 
yeur  pal,  here — that's  all !  By 
the  way,  who  is  this  fine  bird  you 
have  with  you  ?  Oho  !  nobody  but 
Red-headed  Jennie  !  Oh,  yes  !  This 
must  be  a  private  house,  where  re- 
spectable people  live !" 

"  What  are  you  going  to  arrest 
us  for  ?  Can't  a  couple  of  poor 
girls  reform  and  live  decent  without 
being  dogged  wherever  they  go, 
and  dragged  to  the  station  house 
for  nothing  at  all  ?" 

"Nellie  O'Brien,  you  have  the 
oheek  of  the  devil  himself!  You 
know  very  well  that  neither  myself 
»or  Captain  Hickey,  nor  any  other 
officer  in  the  city,  would  lay  a  straw 
in  the  way  of  any  wicked  girl  who 
might  desire  to  leave  off  her  bad  ways 
and  turn  into  better  paths  !  You 
know,  too,  that  we  would  help  you, 
and  encourage  you  to  do  right,  in 
every  way  we  could  !  But  when 
you  tell  rne  you  have  reformed,  you 
lie  !  That's  the  plain  truth.  Now, 
I  want  you  to  tell  me  just  what 
you're  up  to,  and  if  I  find  that 
everything  is  all  right,  and  that 
you  have  told  the  truth,  I'll  shake 
your  hand  like  a  brother,  say  'God 
bless  you,'  and  go  away  without 
troubling  you  in  the  least." 

"  Mr.  Morga  ,"  said  Nell,  "  what 
harm  can  us  two  girls  do?  We  are 
rhe  only  ones  in  the  h~use,  except 
three  servants,  who  are  abed  and 
asleep !"  • 

"And  must  I  take  your  word  for 
that  ?" 

'•'  Oh,  no ;  you  can  search  the 
house  !" 

"  That  will  be  satisfactory,"  said 
tlie  officer,  "  we  will  commence  the 
Sfirch  now — is  there  anybody  in 
here?"  The  detective  approached 
the  door  of  the  bed  room. 

"  Yes  !  The  servants  I  spoke  of 
are  sleeping  in  that  bed  !" 

"S-ervants  in  the  best  bed  in  the 


house  ?  Three  in  a  bed,  too,  and 
one  of  them  a  man  f  This  is  the 
strangest  house  I  ever  entered  be- 
fore r 

Nell  said  nothing.  What  could 
she  say  ?  The  officer  kept  on  in- 
vestigating. 

"  Pretty  nobby  clothes  !  Who 
ever  saw  a  nigger  servant  wearing 
broadcloth  and  a  gold  watch  ?  And 
this  wench  with  a  silk  drees  and 
lace  collar  !  Nellie  O'Brien,  what 
have  you  been  doing  ?" 

"  Nothing,  sir — upon  my  sacred 
word  and  honor,  nothing  at  all. 
I'm  sure  I  don't  know  any  thing 
about  it.  The  lady  of  the  house 
is  away,  and  left  Jennie  and  I  here 
all  alone  !" 

"  Your  word  and  honor  don't  go 
far  when  such  business  as  this  is 
going  on,  my  fine  girl !  But  what's 
this  ?  A  lump  of  charcoal !  Oh  ! 
Now  I  begin  to  see  !  You  have 
drugged  those  people,  and  were 
going  to  rob  them  !" 

"Oh,  no,  not  that!  Upon  my 
soul,  not  that !  ' 

"Of  course,  not  that,  but  I'll 
search  you  first,  and  see  whether  I 
can  find  any  plunder." 

"  I  will  not  lie  to  you  again,  Mr. 
Morgan  !  Here  is  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars,  and  Jennie  has 
just  the  same  amount !  Take  charge 
of  it,  and  when  these  people  wake 
up,  they — or  rather  he — will  tell 
you  whether  it  was  stolen  or  not !" 

At  this  point  Jennie  Smith  burst 
into  tears.  Wicked  Nell  turned 
upon  her  scornfully : 

"Baby!"  she  exclaimed,  "any- 
body would  think  that  it  was  us 
who  had  been  committing  a  crime ! 
All  the  policemen  in  Chicago 
couldn't  make  mt  cry  ! " 

"  Boo-hoo-hoo-hoo  !  "  sobbed  Jen- 
nie, completely  overcome,  burying 
her  face  in  her  hands,  her  b»dy 
swaying  like  a  willow  in  a  gale. 

"  Oti,  go  get  the  booby  a  sugar 


64 


teat !  She  acts  as  though  she'd  been 
spanked,"  said  Nell,  with  a  forced 
laugh. 

"  Let  the  girl  cry.  It's  better  to 
do  that  than  act  like  a  little  devil, 
as  you  do,"  said  one  of  the  officers. 

Nell  looked  at  him  with  a  curled 
lip,  but  made  no  reply. 

Morgan  had  secured  the  three 
hundred  dollars, and  had  also  search- 
ed the  pockets  of  the  parties  who 
were  so  quietly  slumbering 

"  You  were  very  liberal,"  he  said 
to  Nell ;  "  while  you  were  about  it, 
why  didn't  you  take  the  whole  bun- 
dle? Why,  you  left  more  than  half!" 

"1  told  you  before  that  I  didn  t 
take  any!  The  money  you  have  got 
belongs  to  us  girls — every  cent  of 
it !  When  that  gentleman  awakes, 
he  will  tell  you  that  he  has  no  claim 
to  it ;  and  I  don't  think  the  lady 
will  say  that  it  is  hers  !" 

Detective  Morgan  then  com- 
menced shaking  the  sleepers,  but  he 
might  as  well  have  attempted  to 
arouse  the  inmates  of  a  graveyard. 

"  Oh,  you  needn't  shake  them," 
said  Nell,  they  are  sound  asleep 
now,  but  they  will  wake  up  all  right 
in  the  morning." 

"  Did  they  all  three  have  the  neu- 
ralgia ?  "  inquired  Jim,  doubtfully. 

"  If  I  should  tell  you  everything 
just  as  it  occurred,  you  wouldn't  be- 
lieve me,  so  I  won't  say  another 
word  about  it.  But  I  will  ask  you 
a  favor :  Remain  here  and  guard 
the  house  until  these  folks  wake  up, 
and  all  will  be  explained.  The 
man  who  is  blackened  with  char- 
coal, is  a  rich  and  respectable  mer- 
chant, and  it  would  be  a  great  in- 
justice to  take  him  to  the  station, 
for  he  is  no  more  to  blame  than  you 
are.  The  old  woman  is  also  un- 
conscious of  her  present  predica- 
ment ;  while  the  poor  wench  is  an 
innocent  victim  of  my  own  wicked- 
ness. It  was  all  done  for  fun — 
just  for  a  joke — and  it  would  have 


been  all  right  if  you  hadn't  inter- 
fered as  you  did  at  the  wrong  time." 

"  Just  at  the  right  time,  I  should 
judge,"  replied  Jim. 

What  to  do,  under  the  circum- 
stances, the  detective  hardly  knew  ; 
after  reflecting  a  short  time,  he  con- 
cluded to  dismiss  two  of  his  assist- 
ants, and  with  the  other  remain  and 
guard  the  house  until  morning,  and 
then,  when  the  victims  of  Nell's  cus- 
sedness  should  be  restored  con- 
sciousness take  such  action  as  the 
cirmstances  would  warrant.  A.S  for 
the  two  girls,  they  were  already  un- 
der arrest,  and,  unless  explanations 
hardly  possible  could  be  m  ide,  they 
were  doomed  to  an  examination  at 
the  police  court. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

During  the  long  aud  tedious 
hours  of  the  night,  nothing  was 
said  or  done  that  would  be  of  inter- 
est to  the  readers  of  this  story. 
The  two  girls,  not  being  permitted 
to  retire — they  were  considered  too 
slippery  customers  to  be  trusted 
out  of  sight — reclined  upon  the 
sofa.  Nell  slept  as  soundly  as 
though  nothing  had  occurred  to 
mar  her  peace  of  mind,  but  Jennie 
was  restless,  uneasy,  and,  at  times, 
sighed  despairingly,  while  tears 
moistened  her  sleepless  eyes.  She 
had  not  the  recklessness,  the  bra- 
very, the  audacity  of  her  sister  in 
sin.  The  officers,  though, at  times, 
inclined  to  drowsiness,  kept  a  faith- 
ful vigil,  and  when,  at  length,  day- 
light came,  they  congratulated 
themselves  upon  the  near  approach 
of  the  explanation  of  the  strange 
mystery  that  the  detective  had  dis- 
covered. 

Nell  was  wide  awake  before  the 
sun  had  crawled  out  of  the  lake. 

"  If  you  gentlemen  would  like 
some  breakfast,"  she  said,  "  I'll 
try  my  hand  at  getting  up  a  square 
meal." 


A 


"  You  are  very  kind,  Nell,"  said 
the  detective,  "  but  we  -will  excuse 
you  from  an  such  laborious  task. 
Perhaps  you  would  like  to  pile  a 
couple  more  lodgers  into  that  bed." 

"I hadn't  thought  of  that,"  re- 
plied Nell,  "but  I'd  doit,  though, 
if  I  had  a  good  chance.  It  would 
be  capital  fun  to  see  five  of  you, 
like  a  litter  of  pups  in  one  nest !" 

"  Oh,  Nellie!  Please  don't  be  so 
saucy,"  whispered  Jennie,  whose 
fears  had  increased  by  long  delay. 

"  Bah  !  What  do  I  care  for  peel- 
ers," responded  the  bold,  bad  girl. 

The  officers  smiled,  and  rather 
admired  the  courage  of  their  hand- 
some prisoner. 

"  How  long  do  you  think  it  will 
be  before  these  folks  will  get  their 
sleep  out ;"  inquired  Mr.  Morgan. 

"  Let's  see — they  tumbled  over 
about  8  o'clock.  I'll  begin  to  look 
for  kicks,  grunts  and  yawps  at  6." 

Half  an  hour  or  more  elapsed,  and 
the  big  black  arms  of  the  negress 
made  their  appearance  from  under- 
neath the  sheet,  and  her  knuckles 
dug  into  her  eyes  as  though  en- 
deavoring to  scoop  the  china-color- 
ed orbs  from  out  their  sockets. 

"  Gosh  !"  she  said,  '•  dis  niggah 
nebber  did  feel  so  funny  befoah. ' 

Then  turning  half  over  she  espied 
the  blackened  merchant  at  her  side. 
"  Lubly  Moses  !"  she  cried,  spring- 
ing from  the  bed  as  though  she  had 
seen  an  alligator,  "if  dar  ain't  a 
big  brack  buck  niggah  !" 

The  servant  almost  fainted,  so 
great  was  her  fright  and  astonish- 
ment, but  the  sight  of  Nell  gave 
her  assurance  that  she  was  not  en- 
tirely friendless,  and  she  turned  im- 
ploringly to  the  cause  of  her  trouble. 

"For  de  lub  ob  de  lawd,  Miss 
Nellie,"  she  cried,  "what  am  de 
mattah  heah  ?" 

"Ob,  Aunty,"  replied  Nell,  with 
assumed  alarm,  "we  are  all  ruined! 
These  men  are  burglars!  They  have 


drugged  everybody  in  the  house, 
and  are  now  going  to  murder  us." 

"De  Lawd  hab  mercy  on  us !' '  ex- 
claimed the  wench,  falling  on  her 
knees,  and  wildly  gesticulating 
with  her  arms,  her  eyes  rolling  in 
every  direction. 

The  amused  detectives  explained 
to  the  frightened  creature  that 
there  was  no  cause  for  alarm,  and 
Nell  finally  laughed,  and  assured 
her  that  she  was  among  friends. 

"  Don't  you  see  Madame  Dodge 
over  on  the  other  side  of  the  bed  ?" 
she  said,  after  the  negress  had  par- 
tially recovered  her  senses. 

"  Missus  Dodge  ?  Oh,  no,  you 
can't  cuoi  dat  on  dis  chicken  !  Dat's 
a  wench,  as  brack  as  I  is !  And  she 
ain't  got  any  teefe  eider  !" 

Further  controversy  between  the 
astounded  servant  and  Wicked  Nell 
was  cut  short  by  manifestations  of 
consciousness  on  the  part  of  Mad- 
ame Dodge.  The  old  lady  had 
twitched  and  twisted,  and  was  evi- 
dently not  as  comfortable  as  she 
had  been  all  night.  After  a  little 
she,  too,  recovered  the  use  of  her 
hands,  and  would  have  rubbed  the 
charcoal  into  her  eyes  had  not  the 
officer  prevented.  The  black  sub- 
stance was  removed  with  a  wet 
sponge,  for  the  space  of  an  inch  or 
more,  and,  her  recovery  quickened 
by  the  application  of  the  water,  the 
old  hag  raised  up  and  looked  around. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Madame  Dodge,  during  a  life  that 
had  been  devoted  entirely  to  sin, 
had  passed  through  many  adven- 
tures of  a  strange  and  exciting  na- 
ture ;  but  in  all  these  she  had  in- 
variably acted  the  part  of  the 
schemer,  never  the  victim.  When, 
therefore,  she  opened  her  eyes, with 
a  racking  pain  in  her  head,  and 
looked  up  into  strange  faces,  and 
saw  what  she  believed  to  be  a  negro 
by  her  side  in  the  bed,  her  feelings 


66 


can  hardly  be  imagined  by  any 
who  have  not  at  some  time  found 
themselves  in  startling  and  unac- 
countable positions.  Her  first  im- 
pulse was  to  shriek  out  in  alarm, 
but  a  single  glance  told  her  that 
she  was  in  her  own  house,  and  this 
fact  was  so  assuring  as  to  tempo- 
rarily allay  her  fears,  and  prevent 
an  outcry.  She  attempted  to 
speak,  but  alas  !  her  teeth  were  not 
in  their  place,  and  the  strange  noise 
she  made  was  so  utterly  unlike  a 
human  voice  that  even  the  officers 
were  compelled  to  smile  at  the  rid- 
iculous failure.  Wicked  Nell  did 
not  attempt  to  conceal  her  mirth 
and  her  peals  of  laughter  could  be 
heard  half  a  block  away.  The  other 
girl,  however,  was  so  thoroughly 
alarmed  that  she  stood  pale  and 
trembling,  as  thoroughly  frightened 
as  she  wonld  have  been  had  she 
stood  under  the  gallows  tree,  with 
the  rope  dangling  above  her  head. 

The  detective  saw  at  once  the 
dilemma  in  which  the  old  woman 
was  placed,  and,  taking  up  the  set 
of  teeth  that  he  had  noticed  on  the 
dressing  case,  he  handed  them  to 
her,  saying,  as  he  did  so — 

"  Perhaps  these  implements  of 
destruction,  will  assist  you  in  mak- 
ing us  understand  you  more  per- 
fectly, Madame." 

The  old  woman  snatched  them  out 
of  his  hand,  and  clapped  them  in  her 
mouth  with  astonishing  agility. 

"  Mercy  !"  she  cried,  hysterical- 
ly. "  What  is  the  matter  ?  What 
have  you  been  doing  with  me  ?" 

Wicked  Nell  did  not  give  the 
officer  a  chance  to  respond. 

Rushing  up  to  the  bed-side,  with 
feigned  distress  she  exclaimed  : 

"  The  good  Lord  help  us,  my  dear 
Madame,  but  we  are  all  ruined  I 
These  men  have  not  even  respected 
your  gray  hairs  and  your  venera- 
ble wrinkles  1  And  this  (pointing 
to  Re'l-Headed  Jennie)  innocent 


little  girl  has  been  most  foully  and 
infamously  wronged.  Heaven  bless 
TO  all !" 

As  the  old  woman  looked  at  her, 
a  faint  suspicion  crept  into  her 
mind  that  Nell  was  at  the  bottom 
of  the  whole  scheme  of  deviltry, 
and  the  expression  of  her  eyes — 
her  face  was  black  as  ink — was  not 
amiable  as  she  turned  them  upon  the 
wicked  girl,  who,  once  before,  had 
rebelled  against  the  regulations  of 
the  house,  and  foiled  a  plot  that 
promised  rich  results. 

The  officer  took  Nell  by  the  arm, 
notvery  tenderly,  and  led  her  out  of 
the  room,  remarking,  as  he  gave  her 
a  final  shove  into  the  parlor,  "  get 
out  of  here,  you  impudent  hussy  !" 

He  then  requested  Mrs.  Dodge 
to  get  up  and  dress  herself,  when 
an  explanation  of  the  mysterious 
events  of  the  night  might  possibly 
be  made,  if  all  the  parties  can  be 
prevailed  on  to  tell  the  truth. 

"I'll  tell  the  truth,  and  the  whole 
truth  of  it,  if  that  old  woman  and 
that  nice  bed-fellow  of  her's  wants 
m*  to  !"  said  Nell,  who  stuck  her 
head  into  the  door,  and  looked  de- 
fiantly at  Mrs:'  Dodge.  Having 
kad  her/;/;*,  the  girl  commenced  to 
get  mad,  and  was  rea'ly  to  defend 
and  justify  herself,  should  there  be 
an  effort  made  to  hold  her  respon- 
sible for  what  had  occurred. 

Nothing  further  was  said,  the 
door  was  closed,  and  Madame  Dodge 
was  left  to  arrange  here  toilet,  alone. 
The  old  woman  was  mystified,  she 
was  mad,  and  she  was  frightened — 
three  uncomfortable  conditions  of 
the  mind.  It  took  her  less  than  a 
minute  to  discover  that  it  was  Mr. 
Brown  in  the  bed,  and  that  both 
of  them  had  been  drugged,  and  dis- 
figured with  charcoal.  Hastily  ar- 
ranging her  clothing  and  washing 
her  face,  she  partially  opened  the 
door,  and  in  a  hoarse  whisper  called: 

"  NelKe,  come  here  !  " 


Wicked  Nell  did  not  hesitate,  but 
promptly  obeyed  the  summons. 
She  rather  enjoyed  the  excitement 
produced  by  the  situation,  and 
walked  into  the  bed-room  with  a 
firm  tread  and  a  serene  face. 

The  old  woman  glared  at  her 
with  a  stare  that  conveyed  more 
than  words  could  express. 

"  Is  this  your  work  ?"  she  said, 
smothering  her  wrath  as  best  she 
could,  yet  speaking  with  an  empha- 
sis that  betokened  almost  uncon- 
trollable anger. 

"  I  don't  know  what  you  mean, 
Mrs.  Dodge,"  said  Nell,  innocently. 

"•  You  don't  ?  You  don't  know 
anything  that  has  taken  place  here 
during  the  night,  do  you  ?" 

The  words,  and  the  manner  in 
which  they  were  spoken,  seemed  to 
imply  a  threat. 

Wicked  Nell  faced  the  assigna- 
tion keeper  boldly. 

"  Yes  !  I  do  know  everything  ! 
If  you  want  me  to  explain  it  all, 
I  will  call  in  these  policemen,  and 
tell  them  the  whole  truth,  from  the 
day  I  came  here  until  this  minute  !" 

"  You  seem  to  be  very  fond  of 
calling  in  policemen,"  sneered  the 
old  woman. 

"  You  are  slightly  mistaken 
there,  said  Nell,  quietly,  "for  I  have 
wasted  no  love  on  the  peelers ;  but 
you  seem  to  think  I  had  been  com- 
miting  some  dreadful  crime,  and  if 
I  have  I  am  willing  to  tell  all  about 
it.  Shall  I  call  them  ?" 

44 No  !  I  can  settle  my  difficulties 
with  you,  without  their  aid.  You 
have  deceived  me !  You  have 
treated  me  most  shamefully,  but  I 
will  make  no  complaint  to  the  au- 
thorities !"  ••• 

"  Indeed  !  Why,  you  are  really  the 
kindest  old  lady  I  ever  met  in  my 
life  !  Such  benevolence  is  rarely 
to  b*  met  with  in  this  wicked  world 
we  live  in  !  I  begin  to  think  you 
are  a  sister  of  charity,  or  an  angel 


dropped  down  from  heaven  to  teach 
'  the  world  the   beauties  of  true  in- 
wardness !" 

"  This  is  no  time  to  quarrel," 
replied  the  old  woman,  in  a  more 
conciliatory  manner.  "  What  I 
want  of  you  now  is  to  tell  me  just 
what  has  occurred." 

"  Well,  then,  in  the  first  place,  I 
will  tell  you  that  I  have  robbed  you, 
and  that  we  are  all  under  arrest !" 

'•'•Under  arrest  I  Good  heavens! 
What  do  you  mean  ?" 

"  I  mean  that  while  I  was  in  the 
store  buying  medicine,  a  policeman 
tracked  me  to  this  house,  brought 
a  squad,  found  you  asleep,  thought 
you  had  been  robbed,  found  three 
hundred  dollars  in  my  pocket,  and 
told  me  that  if  an  explanation 
could  not  be  made,  we  would  all  be 
sent  to  the  Armory  as  soon  as  you 
should  wake  up  !" 

"  Then,  you  did  steal  my  money!" 

"  No  !  You  stole  it,  and  I  merely 
took  it !  It  is  more  mine  than  yours! 
But  still  I  am  willing  to  go  to  the 
court  and  tell  how  it  all  happened." 

"  Don't  be  a  fool,  Nellie;  we  will 
none  of  us  go  to  court.  I  shall 
make  no  complaint,  because  I  know 
you  will  give  back  the  money." 

"And  /  know  that  I  will  do  noth- 
ing of  the  kind  !  I  wouldn't  do  it 
if  I  could,  and  I  couldn't  do  it  if  I 
would,  for  the  coppers  have  been 
through  me  for  every  cent.  They 
imagined  that  I  drugged  you  for 
the  purpose  of  robbing  you  " 

'•And  didn't  you  ?" 

"No,  I  did  not!" 

"  Then  what  earthly  reason  did 
you  have  for  doing  as  you've  done." 

With  the  grace  and  dignity  of  a 
queen,  Wicked  Nell  motioned  the 
mistress  of  the  house  to  a  chair. 

"  Do  you  really  want  to  know 
why  I  played  this  trick  on  you, 
Madame  Dodge  ?"  • 

"  I  really  should  like  to  have  you 
explain  what  appears  to  me  to  be 


68 


a  most  daring  and  unprovoked  out- 
rage !" 

"  Outrage  !  Oh,  yes  !  It  is  an 
awful  thing  to  perpetrate  an 
outrage  on  such  a  meek  and  benev- 
olent old  lady  as  you  are  !" 

The  procuress  bit  her  lips,  but 
maintained  a  calm  exterior  and  said: 

"  I  do  not  care  to  discuss  the 
merits  of  my  character  or  yours,  just 
now.  If  you  will  tell  me  your  rea- 
sons for  doing  as  you  have  done,  I 
will  thank  you  !" 

"  You  need  not  trouble  yourself 
about  thanks,  Mrs.  Dodge,  but  if 
you  will  listen  I  will  tell  you  an 
elegant  little  story.  I  am  called 
Wicked  Nell— I  am  Wicked— but  I 
am  not  so  lost  to  everything  that 
is  sacred  and  honorable  as  you  sup- 
posed me  to  be.  Wherever  there 
is  deviltry  going  on,  there  it  is  my 
delight  to  be,  for  I  know  that  I  am 
bad,  and  it  makes  me  jealous  when  I 
see  anybody  that  can  go  further  ic 
wickedness  than  I  can.  Were  I  so 
inclined,  I  could  tell  you  of  a  child- 
hood's history  that  would  make 
your  blood  curdle  in  your  veins  i 
When  I  came  to  your  house  I  en- 
deavored to  make  you  think  worse 
of  me  than  I  really  was.  But  I  did 
not  know  you  then.  When  I  found 
that  you  had  entered  into  a  foul 
conspiracy  to  decoy  and  ruin  an  in- 
nocent girl;  when  I  learned  that 
for  money  you  would  rob  a  virgin 
of  her  purity ;  when  with  your  own 
lips  you  unfolded  to  me  the  black 
scheme  you  had  concocted,  then  I 
hated  you,  for  I  looked  upon  you 
as  a  worse  devil  than  was  ever 
spewed  out  of  hell !  I  pretended  to 
be  your  tool !  I  did  get  one  girl  to 
come  here  with  me,  but  I  took  good 
care  to  get  her  away  again !  Then  I 
"  inveigled  "  an  old  friend  of  mine 
from  Wells  street — you  prepared 
the  drugs — they  were  given  to  you 
— your  "  gentleman  "  was  also  dosed 
— even  your  black  cook  was  put  in- 


to bed  with  you — I  took  the  money 
that  was  paid  you — the  coppers 
came — and  you  know  the  rest ! 
Steeped  in  wickedness  as  I  am  ; 
loving  everything  that  is  wicked  as 
I  do — I  would  not,  for  all  the 
money  there  is  in  Chicago,  do  that 
foul  thing  that  you  would  have  had 
me  do  !  Now  you  know  it  all — 
what  are  you  going  to  do  about  it  ?" 
While  the  above  conversation  had 
been  going  on,  Mr.  Brown  had 
showed  symptoms  of  returning  con- 
sciousness. As  Wicked  Nell  con- 
cluded, he  sat  bolt  upright  in  bed, 
and  from  a  mirror's  reflection,  on 
an  opposite  wall,  noticed  that  his 
face  was  as  black  as  coal  could  make 
it.  He  had  not  heard  anything 
that  had  been  said,  but  his  first 
thought  was  that  the  Madame  was 
the  cause  of  his  disgrace.  Springing 
from  the  bed,  he  siezed  the  procur- 
ess by  the  hair  of  the  head  and  ex- 
claimed, excitedly, "  HAG  OF  HELL  !" 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Madame  Dodge,  when  she  felt  the 
clutch  of  an  enraged  man's  hands  in 
her  hair,  screamed  with  pain  and 
fright,  and  the  two  officers  rushed 
into  the  room.  The  scene  that  met 
their  eyes  had  in  it  all  the  elements 
of  both  tragedy  and  farce.  The  ter- 
ror of  the  old  woman,  and  the  rage 
of  the  man,  suggested  seriousness. 
But  the  black  face,  the  bare  white 
legs,  the  whole  body  only  covered  by 
a  single  and  not  very  long  garment, 
were  so  ludicrous  to  look  upon  that 
few  beholders,  under  the  circumstan- 
ces, could  have  kept  straight  faces. 
Wicked  Nell,  who  knew  the  Mad- 
ame was  innocent  so  far  as  her  un- 
willing bed-fellow  of  the  night  was 
concerned,  had  julled  Mr.  Brown 
away  from  her,  and  was  hanging  on 
to  him  when  the  policeman  came  in. 

"  Oh,  you  naughty  man  !"  she  said 
"  how  dare  you  jump  out  of  bed  with 
only  your  shirt  on,  when  there  are 


ladies  in  the  room?  Why  you  shock 
my  modesty — you  old  reprobate  !" 

"  Shock  your  modesty,  indeed  !  " 
said  the  officer  who  was  assisting  the 
detective  ;  "  I  should  hate  to  see 
anything  that  would  make  the  likes 
of  you  blush  !  " 

The  sight  of  the  men,  who  were  en- 
tire strangers  to  him,  aud,  having  no 
uniform  on,  were  not  recognized  as 
officers,  filled  Mr.  Brown  with 
alarm,  and  he  began  to  tremble. 

"  If  you  are  here  to  rob  me,"  he 
said,  "  you  can  have  all  that  you 
can  find,  and  I  swear  to  you 
that  I  will  never  whisper  a 
word  of  it — only  spare  me  personal 
violence  !  Let  me  go  away  from 
here  quietly  and  peacebly." 

"  I  never  was  taken  for  a  robber 
before,"  said  the  detective,  smiling; 
"  if  it  will  be  any  comfort  to  you, 
I  will  tell  you  that  your  person  and 
your  money  are  safe.  I  am  a  police 
officer,  and  I  am  here  to  protect  the 
innocent  and  arrest  the  guilty  !" 

This  pretty  little  speech  did  not 
have  the  effect  anticipated  by  the 
officer.  The  old  man  trembled 
worse  than  before,  and  would  have 
fallen  had  not  Wicked  Nell  held 
him  up. 

"My  God  !"  he  exclaimed,  cov- 
ering his  face  with  his  hands,  "  I  am 
a  ruined  man  !  " 

f(  And  I  am  a  ruined  girl !"  moan- 
ed Nell,  assuming  a  despairing  tone, 
and  striking  an  attitude  that  would 
have  made  many  an  actress  envious. 

Then  she  whispered  to  the  sorely 
distressed  man  : 

"Brace  up,  old  cock,  brace  up! 
You're  a  little  disfigured,  but  still  in 
the  ring  as  the  boys  say.  Don't  weak- 
en !  Be  game  and  you're  all  right !" 

The  situation  being  somewhat 
embarrassing  to  most  of  them,  the 
officer  said : 

"  We  will  leave  you,  sir,  until  you 
can  dress  yourself,  and  wash  your 
face,  and  then,  perhaps,  this  strange 


business  can  be  explained." 

He  motioned  the  others  out  of  the 
room,  and  followed  them,  closing 
the  door.  With  one  sweeping  glance 
of  the  parlor,  his  brow  contracted. 

Red-headed  Jennie  had  flown  ! 

Wicked  Nell  noticed  the  frown  of  * 
the  officer,  and  quickly  reading  his 
mind  and  reaching  his  side  she  said 
in  an  undertone : 

"  Don't  say  anything  about  Jen ! 
If  you  want  her  I'll  turn  her  up  in 
ten  minutes !  Just  wait  and  see 
what  the  old  cove  has  to  say  ! " 

Knowing  that  he  would  have  lit- 
tle trouble  in  capturing  the  escaped 
girl,  no  attempt  was  made  to  follow 
the  fugitive. 

Mrs.  Dodge  sat  in  silence,  gazing 
through  the  cracks  in  the  shutters, 
secretly  wishing  that  Wicked  Nell 
and  the  other  unwelcome  guests 
were  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 

Laboring  under  excitement,  it 
took  Mr.  Brown  quite  a  long  time-  to 
prepare  himself  to  "  receive  com- 
pany." When,  finally,  he  did  so,  he 
turned  the  door-knob,  opened  it  for 
the  space  of  half  an  inch,  and  said  : 

"  Officer,  can  I  speak  with  you  ?" 

The  detective  pnt  his  ear  to  the 
crack. 

"  I  would  like  to  confer  with  the 
lady  of  the  house  for  a  moment,  be- 
fore I  leave  this  room,  if  you  will 
permit  it." 

The  Madame  heard  the  request. 

"  Yes,  let  me  see  him  just  a  mo- 
ment," she  said. 

"  Oh,  yes  !  Let  me  see  him  too," 
mimicked  Nell,  who  seemed  deter- 
mined to  have  all  the  fun  she  could, 
no  matter  what  might  be  the  conse- 
quences. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I  cannot 
permit  any  consultations  just  now," 
said  the  officer;  "  something  wrong 
has  been  going  on  here.  I  do  not 
know  what  it  is,  but  I  have  suf- 
ficient evidence  to  warrant  me  in 
making  a  thorough  investigation. 


There  is  a  mystery  in   this  business 
that  must  be  explained  !" 

"  Yes,  and  I'm  the  little  gal  that 
can  explain  it,"  said  Nell,  viciously. 

She  knew  that  she  had  the  old 
man  and  woman  both   frightened, 
'   and  she  was  bound  to  keep  up  the 
scare  as  long  as  she  could.  For  her- 
self she  was  not  the  least  afraid. 

"  Well,  if  I  must  expose  myself  I 
must,  but  this  is  most  unpleasant 
business,"  were  the  words  of  the 
unfortunate  man,  as  he  emerged 
fr«m  the  room,  looking  as  solemn 
as  man  ever  looked  before. 

"  It  seems  to  me  the  exposure  took 
place  a  few  minutes  ago,"  laughed 
that  wicked  girl. 

Jim  Morgan  looked  at  Mr.  Brown 
with  an  astonished  gaze.  He  recog- 
nized the  rich  merchant  at  a  glance. 

'  Mr.  Brown,"  he  /said,  "  can  it  be 
possible  that  this  is  you  ?" 

"  You  seem  to  know  my  name  !" 
was  the  reply, "  though  I  fail  to  see 
anything  familiar  in  your  face." 

"  There  are  few  business  men  in 
Chicago  that  I  do  not  know  when  I 
set  my  eyes  on  them,"  remarked  the 
detective,  and  continued  :  "  I  am 
glad  I  do  know  you,  for  now  I  can 
find  out  all  that  I  have  been  waiting 
ten  or  a  dozen  hours  to  learn."  . 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you  don't 
know  anything  that  has  been  going 
on?"  said  the  merchant,  with  an  anx- 
iety that  he  could  not  surpress. 

"  I  know  some  things  that  have 
taken  place,  but  not  all.  I  know  that 
you  were  drugged  ;  I  know  that  you 
were  robbed — yes,  and  I  know  who 
did  it,  too !"  looking  at  Wicked  Nell, 
who  returned  stare  for  stare. 

"Robbed!"  The  merchant  took 
out  his  pocket  book,  and  felt  for  his 
watch.  Both  were  as  he  left  them. 

"  You  are  mistaken  in  one  thing," 
he  said;  "  I  have  not  been  robbed  !" 

"  Have  you  as   much  money  as 
you  came  into  this  house  ?" 
was  the  query. 


Mr.  Brown  did  not  want  to  t<-Il 
the  truth,  and  he  was  afraid  that  if 
be  should  lie  he  would  be  caught 
in  it.  Under  such  circumstances, 
be  evaded  answering,  by  stating 
that  his  financial  condition  was  en- 
tirely satisfactory — just  as  he  had 
left  it  when  the  uncontrollable  de- 
sire to  sleep  overcame  him. 

"  I  have  three  hundred  dollars 
aere  that  has  been  taken  from 
somebody"  said  the  detective. 

"Yes  !  You  took  it  from  me  !" 
Nell  looked  saucy  and  defiant.  She 
began  to  consider  herself  the  biggest 
toad  in  the  puddle,  because  she  had 
the  best  of  it.  The  merchant  would 
not  own  up  that  he  had  paid  the 
Madame  the  money,  because  he 
would  then  be  called  upon  to  ex- 
plain what  he  had  paid  it  for  !  Mrs. 
Dodge  would  hardly  claim  it,  for 
the  very  same  reason. 

The  officer  continued,  addressing 
Mr.  Brown  : 

"  Whose  money  is  this  ?" 

"  I  don't  know,  was  the   answer. 

"  Is  it  yours  ?" 

"  I  have  no  claim  to  it." 

"  Is  it  yours,  Mrs.  Dodge  ?" 

"  I  will  take  charge  of  it,"  said 
the  old  lady,  reaching  out  her  hand, 
and  hoping  the  trouble  was  over. 

"  No  you  dont  /" 

With  the  agility  of  a  cat  Wicked 
Nell  sprang  between  them,  and 
grabbed  the  old  woman's  arm. 

"If  she  says  that  is  her  money 
she  lies  !  "  exclaimed  Nell,  for  the 
first  time  losing  her  temper  ;  "every 
dollar  that  you  took  from  me  be- 
longs to  me  !  I  claim  it  here  and 
now  !  If  there  is  any  one  else  who 
dares  say  that  it  is  not  mine  let 
them  speak,  and  the  law  will  decide 
whose  it  is  !  If  I  have  stolen  it,  let 
the  owner  make  complaint,  and  the 
officer  do  his  duty  !" 

She  looked  like  a  queen,  wh«n 
erect  and  defiant,  with  flashing 
eyes,  those  werds  were  spoken. 


The  merchant  gazed  at  her  in 
rapt  admiration,  the  color  mount- 
ing to  his  very  temples,  and,  for- 
getting the  strange,  plight  in  which 
he  was  placed,  he  stood  transfixed, 
feasting  his  eyes  until  his  very  soul 
became  intoxicated  with  the  mag- 
netic influences  exercised  over  him 
by  that  wonderful  but  wicked  girl. 

Not  so  with  Madame  Dodge. 
The  only  feeling  that  took  posses- 
of  her  heart  was  hate  !  Blind  with 
the  wild  passion  that  was  fast  gaiH- 
ing  control  of  her,  unmindful  of 
what  would  inevitably  follow,  she 
cried  out : 

''Arrest  that  girl !  She  is  a  thief! 
The  money  is  mine  !" 

"That's  what  I  thought,"  said 
the  detective,  and  he  continued, 
without  interruption : 

"  Oome,  Nell,  get  on  your  har- 
i.ess  !  I've  got  you  dead  to  rights 
this  time  !  You're  young,  but  you're 
old  enough  for  a  stretch  down  the 
river. 

Is  ell  would  have  torn  out  the 
heart  of  the  old  procuress,  had  she 
been  permitted  ;  but  the  officer  held 
her  with  a  firm  grip,  and  Madame 
Dodge  very  discreetly  kept  out  of 
the  way.  With  wonderful  self-con- 
trol and  presence  of  mind  the  girl 
refrained  from  making  an  immedi- 
ate reply.  With  a  smile  that  was 
anything  but  lovely,  she  said : 

'  You  say  you  thought  I  was  a 
thief;  I  don't  blame  you;  but  I 
know  and  can  prove  whose  money 
that  is  !  Now,  take  me  to  the  sta- 
tion, but  take  her  too.  I  have  a 
charge  to  make  against  the  high- 
toned  Madame  Dodge  !" 

"  I  have  no  right  to  take  her 
without  a  warrant;  but  I  have 
found  stolen  money  on  you,  and  to 
the  jug  you  go  !  So  get  ready." 

In  a  minute  N-.dl  was  ready. 

"Good  bye,  ma"  she  said,  ad- 
dressing the  old  woman,  who  turned 
scornfully  upon  her  heel. 


73 

As  they  were  going  out,  Mr. 
Brown,  who  had  until  this  time 
taken  no  part  in  the  quarrel,  called 
out,  excitedly : 

"OFFICER,  STOP  !" 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

It  was  a  vividly  thrilling  scene,  or 
tableau,  that  was  enacted  in  the 
house  of  the  procuress,  when  Mr. 
Brown,  trembling  with  excitement, 
interposed  in  behalf  of  Wicked  Nell. 
The  officer,  knowing  the  gentleman 
to  be  a  prominent  and  respectable 
citizen,  could  not  well  refrain  from 
heeding  the  old  man's  words,  al- 
though he  was  puzzled  to  know  their 
meaning.  He  really  believed  the  girl 
to  be  guilty,  although  as  between 
her  and  Madame  Dodge,  upon  a  point 
of  veracity,  there  would  be  little 
choice,  had  there  been  no  more  tangi- 
ble evidence  of  guilt.  The  Madame, 
pale  as  a  ghost,  turned  with  a  half 
frightened,  half  bewildered  look  to 
her  confederate  in  crime,  and  waited 
without  speaking  for  an  explanation 
of  his  to  her  strange  and  incompre- 
hensible conduct.  Nell  was  also  taken 
somewhat  by  surprise,  but,  young  as 
she  was,  she  had  learned  the  art  of 
concealing  her  emotions,  and  she, 
too,  awaited  with  every  appearance 
of  calmness  for  the  next  move  in  the 
little  drama  in  which  she  was  taking 
such  a  conspicuous  part. 

The  silence,  for  a  moment,  was 
oppressive.  It  was  broken  by  the 
agitated  merchant. 

"  This  business  must  be  stepped," 
he  said; "  that  girl  is  not  guilty  !" 

Wicked  Nell  looked  at  him  with 
unconcealed  astonishment.  Of  all 
others,  she  had  expected  no  kindness 
from  him.  She  had  deceived  him, 
betrayed  him,  insulted  him,  and  sub- 
jected him  to  indignities  that  would 
have  provoked  the  bitter  enmity  of 
the  best  man  in  the  world — and  yet, 
in  the  face  of  all  this,  he  stood  there 
her  champion  and  defender  ! 


74 


"  I  do  not  understand  what  you 
mean,"  said  the  officer  ;  "Mrs.  Dodge 
claims  that  this  girl  is  a  thief;  I 
found  the  money  in  her  possession  ; 
and  under  such  circumstances  it  is 
my  duty  to  arrest  her  !  There  is  no 
other  course  for  me  to  pursue." 

"  If  Mrs.  Dodge  claims  that  the 
money  you  found  is  hers,  Mrs.  Dodge 
lies"  was  the  emphatic  rejoinder ; 
"  the  money  was  mine  ;  it  was  never 
hers  ;  and  I  declare  to  you  now  that 
this  young  girl  has  it  as  my  free  gift, 
and  can  have  as  much  more  as  she 
may  need  !  You  say,  sir,  that  you 
know  me ;  if  you  do,  you  perhaps 
know  that  my  word  has  never  been 
questioned  in  the  city  of  Chicago, 
and  that  I  am  responsible  for  what 
I  say1  and  what  I  do  !" 

The  eyes  of  Madame  Dodge  shone 
like  two  balls  of  fire.  Her  whole 
frame  fairly  shook  with  rage,  as  she 
exclaimed,  threateningly : 

"  Do  you  dare  stand  up  here  in  my 
house  and  deonunce  me  as  a  liar  f 
Speak,  sir,  quick  !  Unsay  what  you 
have  said,  apologize,  or  as  sure  as 
the  sun  rises,  old  man,  you  shall 
suffer  the  terrible  consequences  /" 

"  Woman  !  No,  not  woman,  Devil  /" 
said  the  merchant,  hoarsely,  "  your 
threats  are  but  idle  words  !  Let  the 
consequences  be  what  they  may,  I 
will  stand  between  that  girl  and 
harm!  The  officer  can  arrest  her  if  he 
must,  but  if  she  goes  you  go,  too  !" 

"  And  if  I  do,  what  will  become  of 
my  distinguished  patron — the  res- 
pectable'and  influential  voAhonorable 
Mr.  Brown  ?  What  part  will  he  take 
in  the  investigations  and  exposures 
that  will  surely  follow  ?" 

"  He  will  take  the  part  of  a  man  ! 
If  he  has  erred,  he  will  acknowledge 
it,  but,  so  long  as  God  lets  him  live, 
he  will  not  permit  so  foul  a  wrong  to 
be  perpetrated  upon  any  human  be- 
ing, as  this  one  that  you  are  at- 
tempting to  commit  upon  a  friend  - 
leas  ani  defenceless  girl  !" 


"  Yor  are  a  fool ! — a  rash,  crazy 
fool !  Do  you  hear  me,  Mr.  Brown  ? 
Do  you  know  what  you  are  doing  ?" 

"  Yes  !    I  am  doing  right !" 

"You  will  curse  the  hour  that 
you  ever  said  that  word,  sir  !" 

"  1  already  curse  the  hour  that 
ever  brought  me  to  your  door  i" 

"  What  did  you  come  here  for  ? 
Did  I  have  a  rope  around  your  neck, 
or  a  ring  in  your  nose,  and  lead  you 
here,  against  your  will  ?  Did  I  force 
you  ?  Did  I  entice  yon  ?" 

"  Hold  !  shouted  Mr.  Brown,  with 
difficulty  suppressing  the  passion 
that  was  raging  in  his  bosom;  '-you 
have  said  enough  !  I  will  not  listen 
to  another  word." 

The  woman  laughed  scornfully. 

"  It  is  like  putting  salt  on  a  raw 
sore  for  me  to  talk  to  you,"  she  said, 
derisively  ;  "  the  truth  touches  the 
old  man  on  a  tender  spot,  don't  it  ?" 

"  A  halter  will  some  day  touch 
your  neck  on  a  tender  spot,"  was  the 
prompt  and  scornful  reply. 

While  this  conversation  was  going 
on,  the  officer  said  nothing,  but  his 
thoughts  were  keenly  active. 

"  Give  them  rope  enough  and 
they'll  hang  themselves,"  came  into 
his  mind  as  he  listened. 

Wicked  Nell  had  also  remained  a 
quiet  listener,  but  she  had,  almost 
unconsciously,  made  her  way  to  the 
merchant's  side.  She  clasped  his  hand, 
and  involuntarily  raised  it  to  her  lips, 
and  there  was  something  like  a  tear 
that  glistened  in  her  eye  as  she  said : 

"  I  am  sorry,  sir,  oh  !  so  sorry  for 
what  I  did  last  night !  I  was  a  wick- 
ed, wicked  girl !" 

Folding  her  in  his  arms  the  rich 
man  pressed  her  to  his  wildly  beat- 
ing heart. 

"  Child,"  he  said,  "  it  is  I  who 
ought  to  be  sorry  !  It  was  I,  an  old 
man,  who  performed  the  wicked  part, 
and  may  Heaven  forgive  me  for  it !" 

"  Heaven  !  What  do  you  know 
about  heaven?  There's  a  hot  corner 


75 


in  hell  that  has  been  kept  vacant  for 
such  as  you,"  sneered  the  procuress. 

Nell  turned  with  a  flushed  face. 

"  And  where  will  your  place  be 
there,  you  toothless  hag — you  old 
blister — you  wart  of  humanity!  Oh, 
if  we  are  all  going  to  hell  together,  I 
shall  coax  the  devil  to  give  me  a  sit- 
uation to  poke  up  the  coals  and  pile 
on  the  brimstone  that  will  roast  your 
rotten,  skinny  old  soul  !  It  would  do 
me  good  to  see  the  grease  fry  out,  and 
hiss  and  sputter  on  the  hot  ashes  !" 

"  Mr.  officer,  take  that  girl  away, 
before  I  take  the  law  into  my  own 
hands  !"  hissed  the  hag,  savagely. 

"  Oh,  Mr.  Policeman  !  Please  let 
her  take  all  the  law  she  wants!  Why! 
she'd  go  and  hide  under  the  bed,  if 
she  and  I  were  alone  for  just  a  min- 
ute !  She  knows  better  than  to  lay 
her  bony  claws  on  me!  I  taught 
her  a  lesson  a  few  days  ago  that  she 
won't  forget  if  she  lives  to  be  a 
thousand  years  old !  Say,  old  gal, 
how  did  you  like  the  thumping  you 
got  from  this  child,  eh  ?" 

Nell  advanced  a  step  or  two,  and 
the  old  woman  retreated  Evidently 
she  did  remember,  and  did  not  care 
to  have  the  experiment  repeated. 

The  officer  stepped  between  them. 

"  There  must  be  no  more  disturb- 
ance here,"  he  said,  sternly.  And 
them  he  continued : 

"  Mr.  Brown,  I  do  not  undersand 
what  has  been  going  on  here,  but  I 
am  satisfied  that  it  is  not  in  my 
power  to  settle  the  difficulties  that 
have  resulted  so  unpleasantly  to  all 
of  you.  As  it  is,  I  think  I  ought  to 
take  Wicked  Nell  and  Madame 
Dodge  both  to  the  station.  If  I  did 
not  know  you,  sir,  I  should  probably 
invite  you  to  come  along,  too  !" 

"  I  will  save  you  the  trouble  on 
that  score,  by  volunteering  to  go 
with  you,'  without  an  invitation," 
was  the  quiet  reply.  "  I  have  said 
that  I  would  protect  that  girl,  and  I 
will  do  it,  though  ruin  and  disgrace 


stare  me  in  the  face  !  This  night's 
work  may  be  a  sorry  one  for  me,  but 
I  will  not  shrink  from  the  responsi- 
bility. If  I  have  been  a  villian,  I 
will  show  the  world  that  I  can  be  a 
man  as  well !  Come,  sir,  do  your 
duty!  I  am  ready!" 

"  Mrs.  Dodge,  you  are  my  prison- 
er !"  said  the  officer,  laying  his  hand 
upon  her  shoulder. 

She  shrank  from  his  touch  M 
though  bitten  by  a  serpent. 

"  What !"  she  said,  excitedly,  "do 
you  dare  arrest  me,  and  without  a 
warrant,  when  I  have  done  nothing!" 

"We  do  not  need  warants  when 
we  deal  with  the  keepers  of  asssig- 
nation  hells,"  replied  the  officer. 

"  Sir,"  exclaimed  the  old  womaa, 
white  with  fear  and  rage,  "  Bewarel 
If  you  arrest  me,  you  do  it  at  your 
peril !  Do  it,  sir,  and  you  will  never 
wear  another  star  in  Chicago  !  Do 
it,  if  you  dare  !" 

"  I  have  dared  desperate  men,  in 
my  day,"  said  the  officer,  smiling, 
"  and  it  requires  but  little  courage 
to  put  the  collar  on  a  sputtering  old 
woman  like  you.  Shall  I  take  you 
by  force,  or  will  you  walk  along  de- 
cently and  quietly,  like  a  lady?" 

"  Take  me  by  force  !  "  shrieked 
the  enraged  procuress,  throwing  her- 
self at  full  length  on  the  sofa,  clutch- 
ing the  carved  back  with  both  hands, 
and  acting  like  a  wild  woman. 

"  Put  a  star  on  me,  and  /'//  make 
the  old  Jezebel  walk  like  a  turkey 
with  a  bunch  of  fire-crackers  under 
its  tail !  "  exclaimed  Wicked  Nell, 
whose  joy  knew  no  bounds. 

"  I  don't  think  we  shall  need  your 
services,"  replied  the  officer,  who 
continued  addressing  the  old  woman: 

"  Madame  Dodge,  I  have  told  you 
that  you  were  my  prisoner.  I  was  in 
earnest.  Now,  let  me  tell  you*  one 
thing  more:  Unlessyou  behave  your- 
self, and  come  along  without  trouble, 
I  will  throw  you  across  my  should- 
ers as  I  would  a  sheep,  and  carry 


76 


you  all  the  way  to  the  armory." 

"Drag  the  eld  cat  heels  first," 
put  in  Nell,  viciously. 

A  moment's  reflection  convinced 
Mrs.  Dodge  that  she  was  dealing 
with  a  man  who  meant  what  be  said, 
and  was  not  to  be  trifled  with.  And 
with  a  sigh  that  came  near  being  a 
groan  she  arose,  and  prepared  to 
obey  the  demands  of  the  policeman. 

"  I  presume  you  will  permit  me 
to  order  a  carriage,"  she  said,  with 
forced  composure. 

"Yes,"  said  Nell,  "but  you  mu,t 
get  two  hacks,  if  any,  for  I  wouldn't 
ruin  my  reputation  by  being  seen 
riding  in  her  company!  " 

"  You  and  I  will  ride  together." 
said  Mr.  Brown,  "  if  the  officer  will 
intrust  me  with  the  charge  of  so 
desperate  a  prisoner." 

"  You  are  entirely  responsible," 
he  replied,  "and  even  if  you  was  not, 
we  can  easily  keep  an  eye  on  you." 

Very  soon  two  hacks  drove  up  to 
the  house  of  the  procuress,  and  the 
whole  party  left,  leaving  the  aston- 
ished negress  alone  in  the  house. 

Be-fore  Nell  realized  what  hap- 
pened, the  merchant  had  kissed  her 
plump  on  her  crimson-tinted  lips. 

<:  Nell !"  he  exclaimed,  pressing 
ker  passionately  to  his  breast, 
"  darling,  I  love  you  /" 


CHAPTER   XVIII. 

"  Darling  !  I  love  you  !  repeated 
Mr.  Brown,  pressing  the  beautiful 
^'irl  to  his  bosom,  and  kissing  her. 
Wicked  Nell  was  bewildered,  and 
knew  not  what  to  say  or  do.  The 
girl  had  no  definite  idea  of  the 
word  love.  She  had  never  loved 
anybody  in  her  life.  True,  she 
liked  her  lioerai  iover,  Onariey  Wil- 
liams, because  he  made  her  presents 
and  gave  her  money,  but  she  kne^v 
that  he  was  a  married  man,  and 
the  idea  of  him  being  anything 
nearer  to  h«r  than  h«  had  been  fer 
the  past  f«w  months,  mever  entered 


her  head.  She  had  not  been  true 
to  him,  either,  and  that  fact  showed 
how  shallow  was  even  her  pretend- 
ed love.  Never  in  all  her  life  had 
her  heart  been  so  touched  as  it  was 
when  Mr  Brown  stepped  between 
her  and  the  officer,  and  became  her 
champion.  Knowing  that  he  had 
reasons  to  hate  her,  she  expected 
no  mercy  at  his  hands ;  and  when 
she  heard  his  words  of  defence  for 
her,  and  the  defiance  that  he  hurl- 
ed at  the  procuress,  to  save  her 
life  she  could  not  keep  back  the 
tears  that  forced  themselves  to  her 
eyes.  She  felt  she  had  wronged 
one  whose  heart  was  in  the  right 
place,  even  though  his  passions 
had  prompted  him  to  the  commital 
of  a  fearful  sin.  Once  she  had 
hated  him,  but  she  now  felt  that  he 
was  a  true  friend. 

It  was  fully  a  minute  before  Nell 
spoke,  after  the  passionate  declara- 
tion of  her  companion.  She  did  not 
repel  his  advance* — she  did  not 
withdraw  the  hand  he  clasped  s« 
warmly ;  she  did  not  resist  when 
he  drew  her  to  his  besom  and  press- 
ed her  head  against  his  heart. 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,"  she 
finally  said,  raising  her  eyes  to  his; 
•'  how  you  can  forgive  one  who  has 
abused  you  so  shamefully  ?  " 

"  Forgive  ?"  he  exclaimed.  '  •  Nev- 
er say  that  word  to  me  again  !  The 
first  time  I  saw  you  I  loved  you ! 
If  you  should  kftl  me  this  minute, 
my  last  act  would  be  a  kiss,  my 
last  words  a  blessing  !  Say  that 
you  will  let  me  love  you,  and  pro- 
tect you,  and  cherish  you,  and  yeu 
will  make  me  happy  !" 

"But  what  weuld  that  three- 
hundred  dollar-girl  say?" 

There  was  a  rouguish  smfl«  OB 
Nell's  face  when  she  asked  this. 

"  God  knows  I  never  want  t»  see 
her  again,"  he  said,  and  continued  : 

"  As  GUd  is  my  judg«,  M  Heaven 
U  my  kop«,  I  intended  no  harm  to 


77 


an  innocent  girl.  I  was  tempted  to 
do  what  I  did.  I  listened  to  those 
more  wicked  than  I  was,  and  but 
for  you  I  might  have  yielded  to 
temptations  that  I  had  not  the  pow- 
er to  resist.  But  you  have  not 
given  me  one  word  of  encourage- 
ment. Tell  me,  will  you  let  me 
love  you?" 

Nell,  who  had  completely  regain- 
ed her  self-posession,  replied  : 

"  You  mean  to  ask  me  if  I  will 
^  you  girl  T 

"  No !  on  my  honor,  No  !" 

Wicked  Nell  laughed,  but  it  was 
not  a  merry  laugh. 

"  You're  like  all  the  rest  of  the 
world,  after  all,"  she  said  ;  "  I  had 
almost  believed  you  were  honest." 

"  Whatever  I  may  have  been,  I 
am  honest  now — I  swear  it." 

Instinctively,  she  pushed  him 
from  her. 

"  I  did'nt  think  you  such  a  vil- 
lian,"  she  .said,  frowning  sternly. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?"  exclaimed 
the  man,  the  picture  of  astonishment. 

"  If  you  had  told  me  that  you 
wanted  me  for  a  kept  woman,  I 
might  have  respected  you — I  might 
even  have  consented;  for  I  entertain 
for  you  more  than  friendly  feelings. 
But  when  you  try  to  deceive  me, 
when  you  attempt  to  make  a  fool 
of  me,  it  makes  me  hate  you  again, 
worse  than  I  did  before." 

"  In  God's  name  what  have  I 
done  ?" 

Mr.  Brown  held  up  both  hands, 
and  seemed  deeply  moved — there 
was  agony  on  his  face,  and  his  voice 
trembled. 

"  Done?  Oh,  nothing!  Nothing  but 
this  :  You  have  lied  I  You  are  a  hy- 
pocrite! You  are  making  yourself  a 
scoundrel,  when  there  is  no  neces- 
sity for  it !  Wicked  Nell  is  not  soft ! 
She  is  not  an  idiot,  to  be  fooled  by  a 
few  empty-sounding  words  !  Go  play 
that  confidence  game  on  such  inno- 
cent little  girls  as  you  thought  you 


had  trapped  last  night,  but  don't  try- 
it  on  me !  It's  too  thin  for  the  wick- 
edest girl  in  Chicago  !" 

"  Oh,  this  is  trouble,"  sighed  the 
astonished  merchant.  "  If  you  will 
only  tell  me  why  you  talk  ?•  strange- 
ly, so  wildly,  so  unjustly,  then 
I  can  defend  myself !  Speak,  Nellie ! 
Why  do  you  thus  accuse  me  ?" 

"  I  ought  to  spit  in  your  face  !" 

"For  what  ?  Oh,  God  '  for  what?" 

"  For  being  the  boss  deceiver  and 
champion  liar  of  Chicago  !" 

"  I  implore  you  to  explain  !" 

"  I'll  ask  you  a  few  questions,  and 
then  I  guess  you  won't  want  any 
more  explanations." 

"  Go  on  !  Ask  anything  you  wish." 

"  You  said  you  loved  me  ?" 

"I  did  !     I  do  love  you  !  ' 

"  And  you  don't  want  me  to  be 
your  girl — your  mistress  ? 

"  No  !" 

"  Do  you  want  to  adopt  me  as  a 
daughter?" 

"  No— not  that." 

"  Do  you  want  me  to  come  and 
work  for  you  as  a  servant?" 

"Heavens !  no !" 

"Then  I  will  ask  you  plainly,  what 
do  you  want  of  me  ?" 

"  I  will  tell  you.  I  love  you  wild- 
ly, madly,  desperately,  truly  !  I  will 
take  you  to  my  heart  and  make  yon 
my  honored,  lawful,  wedded  wife  !" 

"  Oh  you  villain  !" 

Nell  screamed  these  words,  and 
she  turned  red  in  the  face  with  anger, 
while  the  merchant  was  so  astonish- 
ed that  he  could  hardly  speak. 

"  If  an  honorable  proposal  makes 
a  man  a  villain,  then  I  confess  that  I 
am  one  »f  the  worst  of  villiana  !" 

"  Honorable  ?  Don't  say  that 
again  !  You're  a  skunk  !  I'm  glad 
I  played  that  game  last  night !" 

"  Child,  are  you  crazy  ?" 

"  No  ;  not  crazy — I'm  wad  !" 

"  At  what  ?" 

"  To  think  you  take  me  for  a  flat 
— a  sucker — a  spooney  !" 


*  Oh,  I  knew  not  what  to  say  or  do." 

41  Well,  if  you  don't,  I  can  give  you  some 
advice — I  c&i  tell  you  what  to  do." 

"  I  will  do  anything  that  you  ask  me  to." 

•'  Give  us  your  hand  on  that  I" 

He  held  out  his  hand  mechanically.  Nell 
B*. .'zed  it  and  said: 

"  Go  ~komt  to  your  wife  and  da  ffhter/" 

"  If y  w ife  ?    My  daughter  ?' ' 

"Tee, you:  wfe,  your  dawjhter I  OK,  what 
a  nice  man  you  are,  trying  to  pull  the  wool 
over  the  eyes  of  Wicked  Nell,  with  your  mar 
rying  dodge.  Ain't  you  ashamc.  d  of  yourself  ?" 

"  Who  told  you  I  was  married,  and  that  I 
had  a  child?  ' 

"The  old  woman  squealed  on  you." 

' « What  old  womar  ?' ' 

"  The  extremely  virtuous  and  highly  ac 
complished  Madame  Dodge  1" 

"  Madame  Dod.e  liedl  dhe  Ved  like  a  thief  ! 
I  war.  never  married,  I  have  no  child  1" 

Nell  lo  ked  at  him  as  though  she  would 
read  hia  sou). 

"I  swear  that  what  I  hav«  said  is  true," 
he  centinue.d.  "  It  would  be  folly  for  me  to 
attempt  to  deceive  you,  when  the  lie  could  be 
so  quickly  nailed.  Believe  me,  Nellie,  dar- 
ling, and  n;ver  doubt  my  word  again  1' 

He  was  about  to  embrace  her,  when  the 
hack  drew  up  in  front  of  the  Armory,  and 
the  whtlc  party  alighted. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

It  T(  quired  very  little  persuasion  to  induce 
Madame  Dodge  to  withdraw  the  oomp'.aint 
she  had  made  against  Wicked  Nell.  The  ride 
to  the  Armory  had  the  effect  to  cool  down 
the  anger  of  the  procuress,  and  she  was  glad 
enough  to  escape  ,so  easily  from  what  might 
prove  a  serious  charge. 
'  "Drive  us  to  the  Tremont  House, "  was 
the  order  Mr.  Brown  gave  to  the  driver,  as 
himself  and  Wicked  Nell  re-entered  the  hack. 

In  one  of  the  parlors  of  that  hotel,  himself 
and  the  girl  he  loved  had  a  long  and  earnest 
conversation.  When  convinced  that  she  had 
a  second  time  wronged  her  benefactor,  Nell's 
self-accusations  were  as  vehement  as  those 
she  had  heaped  upon  ihe  head  of  Mr.  Brown. 
Perhaps  the  knowledge  that  she  had  been  so 
uLjust  and  unreasonable  had  a  favorable  effect 
on  her  heart,  for  she  could  cot  but  aoknowl 
edge  to  herself  that  the  advances  of  her  friend 
were  the  most  pleasing  that  she  had  ever 
experienced. 

When  Mr.  Brown  insisted  upon  a  reply, 
Nell  hung  her  head — she  was  ashamed  to 
look  him  in  the  face. 


1 '  Say  yes,  darling,  say  yes,"  he  exclaimed 
earnestly,  eloquently. 

"  I  cannot!  Oh,  I  cannot,"  she  said,  sadly. 

"  Why  can  you  noi?". 

The  words  almost  stuck  in  her  throat,  but 
the  brave  girl  responded: 

"  Because,  sir — because — because — I—am 
— a — PROSTITUTE  !' ' 

With  a  wild  outburst  of  tearful  emotion, 
Nell  tore  herseif  from  the  embrace  of  her 
lover,  ana  fell  to  the  floor,  sobbing  violently. 

Tenderly  the  stro  g  man  picked  her  up,  as 
though  she  was  but  a  child. 

"  What  you  have  been  cannot  be  recalled," 
he  said,  sadly;  "but  henceforth  you  can  b«, 
you  shall  be,  a  lady  /  As  my  betrothed,  or  as 
my  wife,  there  are  cone  who  would  dare  treat 
you  with  anythiEg  but  respect.  Am  I 
not  as  bad,  yes  worse,  than  you  ?  We 
stand  on  equal  terms.  Let  us  pledge 
to  each  other,  here  and  BOW,  that 
henceforth  and  forever  we  will  be  true  as 
steel,  one  to  the  other  1" 

His  arms  were  open.    She  fell  upon  hi* 
broad  breast,  and  for  the  first  time  in  her  life 
bestowed  upon  a  man  a  kiss  of  love!  1 
****** 

Three  years  passed  quickly  away.  During 
that  time  Nellie  O'Brien — no  longer,  thank 
God,  Wicked  Nell — was  an  assiduous  pupil 
at  a  female  seminary  not  two  '  undi  ed  miles 
from  Chicago,  graduating  with  the  highest 
honors,  and  taking  with  her  when  she  de- 
parted the  love  of  her  teachers  and  school- 
mates. The  change  in  her  appearance  was 
rrarvelous.  She  had  been  a  beautiful  girl 
before — now  she  was  as  lovely  a  woman  ai 
the  eye  of  man  ever  rested  on  with  admira- 
tion, and  as  good  and  pure  in  heart  as  she  w« 
comely  of  form. 

The  TV  edding  was  a  quiet  one  and  a  happy 
one,  and  none  were  happier  than  the  mother 
of  the  beautiful  bride,  who  had  been  kindly 
cared  for  by  the  man  who  became  her  son  in- 
law. 

Jennie  Smith  is  to-day  an  inmate  of  a  house 
.  f  ill-fame  on  Pacific  avenue,  as  bad  as  the 
worst  of  them.  She  has  been  at  the  Bride- 
well time  after  time,  and  will  ur  questionably 
die  there,  at  no  far  distant  day. 

Madame  Dodgf  left  the  city  shortly  after 
the  exciting  adventures  of  that  night,  and 
has  never  since  been  heard  front. 

To-day,  in  a  mag.  ifioent  residence  on  one 
of  the  most  beautiful  streets  of  Chicago,  with 
a  bright  and  beautiful  girl-child  upon  her 
knee,  surrounded  by  every  luxury  that 
wealth  can  purchase,  beloved  by  all  whe 
know  her,  there  resides  she  who  was  »noe 
WICKB»  NBLL,  A  GAY  GIBL  OF  THB  TOWN. 


THE  END. 


ft  ••• 


"          jC~      A  >  , 

«-^  ' 


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